Ibrahim Mustafa Magu, the acting chairman of the Economics and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, has denied the statements made by his lawyer about a petition to a panel investigating him for assets recovery.
Counsel to Mr Magu, 58, who was apprehended by security agent this month, said the suspended EFCC boss, who is accused of looting recoveries, will be “reinstated back to office,” by the panel led by Justice Ayo Salami, a former President of the Nigerian Court of Appeal.
Wahab Shittu in an interview said: “Mr Magu asked me to tell Nigerians that he is not against the probe. The allegations against him are trumped up. He strongly believes that his name will be cleared and he will be reinstated back to office.”
Sources confirmed that billions of naira and assets were not remitted to the Central Bank of Nigeria during Mr Magu’s stewardship.
This led to a recommendation for his sack from his supervising minister, the Attorney General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami, SAN to President Muhammadu Buhari.
Mr Magu stated that the 22 allegations contained in the memo sent to the President were “nonsense.”
The lawyer also claims to have submitted 44-pages to the panel, although he acknowledges that the charges against his client are not known. The panel could not accept Mr Magu’s statement.
This paper recently revealed a link between Mr Magu and a clergyman based in Abuja.
Prophet Emmanuel Omale served as a conduit for Mr Magu, DENISAURUS News, exclusively reported in April this year. In the report, this newspaper stated that the two men travelled to Dubai to scout for choice properties for the erstwhile anti-graft boss.
This report has been investigated by the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit, NFIU, which revealed and traced over 500 million from Mr Magu to Prophet Omale, lead founder of Divine Hand of God Prophetic Ministries International, Abuja.
Those close to Prophet Omale, initially denied he had travelled anywhere this year. However, when the NFIU’s document where leaked, the clergyman admitted he was in Dubai, in March as the paper stated.
Responding in a statement, Prophet Omale claimed Mr Magu was his son. Mr Magu, a Muslim, the religious Kogi born leader said, sleeps in his church and speaks to God there.
Mr Magu, this newspaper also learnt gave away expensive vehicles recovered from suspects to friends.
The suspended anti-graft boss who was twice rejected by the National Assembly, NASS, tried to deny the allegations of the panel and has furnished media houses with his denials.
“This false allegation is most unfortunate, spiteful, malicious and intended to cruelly destroy my hard-earned reputation,” the official said.
“Contrary to the allegations contained in paragraph (A-5X) of the petition, I know as a fact and verily believe that not a dime of the recovered funds was fraudulently converted to my personal… I challenge my accuser to produce evidence of such fraudulent conversion.”
But speaking to the panel on Wednesday, Mr Magu noted that he had not authorised the lawyer or the paper to respond to the panel.
“Wallahi-Tallahi, They are lying. I did not inform them that I auctioned any cars to officials of Presidential Villa and Minstires, Department and Agencies, MDAs.
“I also did not tell them to write about any property. That man that calls himself my lawyer must have been speaking to one party chieftain, who must have given them instruction to do what they have done, so as to cause disaffection between me and President Muhammadu Buhari.”
Mr Magu has promised to sue them all, a source said to this newspaper.
“I will sue him and even all the media houses that have been printing all these things,” sources informed DENISAURUS News.
“Swear with the Quran as Ibrahim, and also as the spiritual son of Prophet Omale by using the Bible,” the source said.
Mr Magu is known for leaking important documents to media allies. In the past, he was accused of leaking sensitive information to some media houses, which lead to Nigeria’s suspension from a world financial intelligence unit, EGMONT Group.
DENISAURUS News had exclusively reported in the past, but Mr Magu at the time accused the Editor, Miss Adenike Lucas to have been sponsored by corrupt politicians.
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