The man Ibrahim Mustafa Magu, the new acting Chairman of Economic and financial Crimes Commission(EFCC) a is a Kanuri from Borno state.
Ibrahim Magu attended the University of Maiduguri where he obtained a degree in Accountancy. Hence he is now a certified accountant, a trained financial crimes investigator with background in forensic accounting, and he also trained at the FBI institute and the London Metropolitan Police institute.
Ibrahim Magu served as head of the EFCC’s Economic Governance Unit (EGU) during the tenure of Nuhu Ribadu. He thereafter gained public attention when he led many high profile investigations against former governors including James Ibori of Delta State and the current Senate President Bukola Saraki of Kwara State.
He also reportedly worked with Ribadu to jail his brother-in-law and former Bank of the North chief, Shettima Bulama. Bulama was later pardoned by former President Goodluck Jonathan.
Ibrahim Magu is a member of the investigative committee convened by National Security Adviser (NSA), Babagana Monguno on the orders of President Muhammadu Buhari to probe the procurement of arms in the Armed Forces from 2007 till now.
Ibrahim Magu has been described by Police sources as “ a fearless investigator who can stand up to any duty,”.
Mr. Magu, an Assistant Commissioner of Police, is a member of the Presidential Advisory Committee on Anti-Corruption and was a former Head of the Economic Governance Unit (EGU) of the anti-graft agency.
Mr. Magu was one of the early recruits into the EFCC by the pioneer chairman of the commission, Nuhu Ribadu. He is seen by peers as an incorruptible and courageous officer and then made the head of the sensitive EGU, a unit in charge of investigations of senior public officials.
As head of the EGU, some of the investigations Mr. Magu spearheaded include the role of former Kwara State Governor and serving senator, Bukola Saraki, in the collapse of Societe Generale Bank of Nigeria, and James Ibori, former Governor of Delta State, who was convicted for money laundering in the United Kingdom.
But trouble started for the police officer after the controversial removal of Mr. Ribadu as chairman of the commission in December 2007.
In August 2008, Mr. Magu was accused of illegally keeping case files of top politicians being investigated by the commission. His house in Abuja was searched and his property carted away by operatives of the EFCC.
He was subsequently re-deployed to the police after days of detention with nothing incriminating found against him. He was later suspended from the police, going without salaries for several months.
Following his appointment as Chairman of the EFCC in 2011, Mr. Lamorde made the return of Mr. Magu to the EFCC a top priority. Both men had worked together at the commission when Mr. Lamorde served as head of operations of the agency.
In a letter written to the Inspector General of Police (IGP) on March 19, 2012, and titled “Re: Postings/Transfer and secondments of police officers to the EFCC,” Mr. Lamorde put Mr. Magu as top on the list of police officers he wanted to be deployed to the EFCC.
But when the police boss was to confirm the deployment of the officers, Mr. Magu’s name was conspicuously absent.
Mr. Lamorde eventually had his way after President Goodluck Jonathan reportedly intervened in Mr. Magu’s case.
Following the President’s intervention, Mr. Magu was released to the EFCC. He remained a top official of the commission until he was appointed to succeed Mr. Lamorde.
He is to take over from Ibrahim Lamorde who Femi Adesina, the presidential spokesman said “ was not sacked but was only proceeding on terminal leave ahead of the expiration of his tenure in February 2016.”
The acting Chairman of the commission took over officially on November 11, 2015 and during the handing over ceremony at the commission’s office in Abuja, Magu called on all staff of EFCC to get positioned for a greater fight against corruption in Nigeria.
The new acting chairman said with corruption, there would never be a meaningful development in Nigeria.
He said he has come to the commission to “ ginger up the anti-corruption campaign“.
“ There is the need to make sure that whatever is gotten for common use did not end up in private pockets ,” Magu said.
He further called all staff of the commission to personally channel their grievance to him as he will be solely responsive to the welfare of EFCC’S staff.
“ I am ready and willing to work with everybody without any primordial concerns ,” the new acting chairman said.
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