Nigeria's Secret Police Goes After Anti-Corruption Czar Magu, Claims He Was Sabotaging Anti-Corruption War

Acting Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission  (EFCC) Ibrahim Magu, actively sabotaged the country's anti-graft war, the Directorate of State Security (DSS) has claimed. In a leaked memo addressed to the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF), Mr. Abubakar Malami, the DSS detailed a variety of alleged misdeeds by Mr. Magu.

DSS memo 1

Acting Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission  (EFCC) Ibrahim Magu, actively sabotaged the country's anti-graft war, the Directorate of State Security (DSS) has claimed. In a leaked memo addressed to the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF), Mr. Abubakar Malami, the DSS detailed a variety of alleged misdeeds by Mr. Magu.                          

The memo, a response to the AGF's request for more information and documents relating to the allegations made in the initial

DSS memo that apparently provided ammunition with which the Senate shot down Mr. Magu's confirmation as substantive head of EFCC, brimmed with allegations of misdeeds. According to the document, sighted by SaharaReporters, Mr. Magu's alleged integrity issues dates back to 2010. The first annexure in the memo referred to that year's indictment of the acting EFCC Chairman by the Police Service Commission after a disciplinary process and that severely reprimanded him for "action prejudicial to state security, withholding of EFCC files, sabotage, unauthorized removal of EFCC files and acts unbecoming of a police officer".                    

The memo noted that severe reprimand is the highest punishment, other than dismissal or compulsory retirement for errant conduct by a police officer. The second annexure was a copy of an alleged confessional statement made by Air Commodore Mohammed Umar (retd.), which affirmed his proprietorship of Valour SA Nigeria Limited, the beneficiary of a contract awarded by the the Federal Capital Territory Authority (FCTA) for the security and furnishing of Mr. Magu's official residence. Air Commodore Umar was detained by the DSS for several months despite court ruling asking for his release, he is currently under surveillance, which revealed that the contract he got was with the help of Mr. Magu, who had earlier been shown the house by one Uche, a close business associate of Umar introduced to him by the acting EFCC Chairman. The third annexure attached was a cooked up memo, purportedly from the Office of the Vice President recovered from Mr. Umar's residence during a DSS search.      

"The document is a request for approval to commence further investigation into financial activities of Honourable Minister of Petroleum Resources, Ibe Kachiukwu. Also attached to the memo are two genuine investigation reports by EFCC on Honourable Minister, dated  March 24, 2016 and duly signed by Magu. One of these two attachments indicates that the original investigation report was purportedly received in the VP's office by one Folabo Kay," the memo stated.    

The fourth annexure was a letter from the Vice President's office indicating that the document was forged. Next up was an annexure, which was a copy of the progress report ( Ref No. SH/COS/ 24/A/7277) and dated May 25, 2016 on Nigerian National Petroleum / Natural Liquefied Gas Brass Investment Accounts in commercial Banks. The report was issued by Mr. Abba Kyari, Chief of Staff to President Muhammadu Buhari, and addressed to Mr. Magu.                

The document, said the DSS memo, was an official/ classified document of the EFCC, duly received by the commission, but was recovered at Mr. Umar's private residence. Also attached are photocopies of manager's cheques of banks issued in favor of EFCC Recovery Funds Accounts of May 13  and May 16, 2016, both found in Mr. Umar's home. Similarly so was a classified letter from the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) to Mr. Magu requesting him to freeze the account of Messrs. Bebey Merchant Limited and 20 others.


In addition, the DSS memo claimed that a document emanating from the NNPC and addressed to Mr. Magu on May 6, 2016, responding to the EFCC's request to stop debit order on all Joint Venture and NNPC Pension Funds Accounts was found in Mr. Umar's home. Many other documents, the memo revealed, were found in the home of Umar, Magu's friend.

This moved the DSS to write: "An officer appointed as acting Chairman of EFCC should, by all means, be one of impeccable credentials, with proven integrity and capacity to lead the nation's fight against graft in high and low places. Thus far, it is evident from Magu's antecedents that he is by no means that kind of officer." The DSS also argued that the fact that Magu had previously been indicted, yet chose to disclose classified information to his allegedly tainted friend, advertises him as an offender incapable of remorse. The DSS also questioned his capacity for sound professional judgment. "The recovery of sensitive and classified documents from the residence of Umar further underlays his close affinity to Magu and an apparent penchant for sabotaging official processes and administrative protocols just to further the latter's pecuniary agenda," noted the DSS.

 The leaked memo was sent to selected reporters earlier today from an anonymous source. Apparently, the memo was aimed at justifying the role of the DSS in bungling Mr. Magu's confirmation for the second time before the Nigerian Senate.