THE Acting Chairman of the Economic Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has been reportedly suspended from office.
Magu had spent the night in detention at the Police Force Criminal Investigations Department (FCID) in Area 10, Abuja following long hours of interrogation, according to insider sources at Aso Rock.
The ICIR reported that Magu was picked up on Monday by security operatives attached to the inter-agency panel set up by President Muhammadu Buhari to investigate allegations of corruption.
On Tuesday afternoon, Magu was reported to have been suspended after his interrogation
Magu is being questioned over allegations of gross misconduct by a panel headed by Justice Ayo Salami, a retired President of the Court of Appeal who is also the chairman, Corruption and Financial Crime Cases Trial Monitoring Committee (COTRIMCO).
Although the presidency is yet to release an official statement on his suspension, a source in the government disclosed to The ICIR that he has been relieved of his duties.
In an effort to confirm the report, The ICIR contacted Professor Itse Sagay, the Chairman of Presidential Advisory Committee against Corruption, PACAC about Magu’s suspension but he denied knowledge of the case.
Sagay said he is unaware of the development adding that he does not have any knowledge of happenings about the embattled EFCC boss.
“I am not aware, in fact, I don’t know much about what is going on, it is all new to me,” Sagay told The ICIR in a telephone conversation.
Magu’s renewed probe followed a memo written by the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami.
In the memo, Malami demanded the sack of Magu over allegations of insubordination and diversion of recovered assets.
Meanwhile, Professor Femi Odekunle, a PACAC has described the travail of Magu as “outcome of power-play.”
In a statement released yesterday, he said: “The alleged originating Malami memo, up to the current “arrest “ seems an outcome of power-play by power blocs in the corridors of power in which Malami appears to be an arrow-head or major agent of a power bloc that is not really interested in, or in support of, Buhari’s anti-corruption fight.”
Lukman Abolade is an Investigative reporter with The ICIR. Reach out to him via [email protected], on twitter @AboladeLAA and FB @Correction94