The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on Wednesday demanded the prosecution of the suspended Acting Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Ibrahim Magu, over alleged fraud.
The party which made the call in a statement titled: “Fraud: Magu Must Face Prosecution, Says PDP …Insists Indictment Reinforces Graft Allegations,” and signed by its National Publicity Secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan, in Abuja, said it reviewed the reported circumstances surrounding the investigation of Magu and was demanding for his prosecution.
According to the opposition party, the anti-graft czar’s indictment reinforced its position that the much-hyped war against corruption by the EFCC, under his watch, had been a huge scam by corrupt individuals to cover the plunder of public resources, harassment of political opponents, intimidation and extortion of money from innocent Nigerians.
The statement read: “The revelations of diversion of recovered funds and fraudulent sale of assets seized by the EFCC among other sleazes, as detailed in the memo by the Attorney General and Minister of Justice, as well as the report of the Department of State Services on Magu’s activities, have further exposed the racket that the fight against corruption had become under the All Progressives Congress government.
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“The development has also exposed why corruption has worsened under the Buhari administration, as documented by credible international organizations, including Transparency International.
“It is a big embarrassment to our nation, that the head of an anti-corruption agency in an administration led by the African Union anti-corruption champion and which prides itself on zero tolerance for corruption, is being dragged in allegation of looting recovered funds and other barefaced frauds.
“Now that the racket has been exposed, the onus lies on President Muhammadu Buhari to clean his Augean stable by not sweeping the matter under the carpet or seeking to provide a soft landing for the indicated EFCC boss and shield him from prosecution.”
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