Group Wants Magu Sacked over Demand for Benue Council Meeting Extract

James Emejo in Abuja

A group, the Benue Liberation Front (BLF) has expressed shock over a demand for the minutes of the Benue State Security Council meetings covering 2015 to 2018 by the Economic and financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), and called for the sack of the Acting Chairman of the agency, Mr. Ibrahim Magu.

The group urged Acting President Yemi Osinbajo to relieve Magu of his duties for being compromised among other alleged infractions.

“What does EFCC want to do with minutes of Benue State Security Council meetings between 2015 and 2018? Has EFCC moved from fighting crimes to a security regulating agency? What does EFCC want exactly from Benue State?” the
Coordinator of BLF, Yunum Tyosor queried in a statement made available to THISDAY wednesday.

He said the commission’s incursion into Benue activities showed clearly that it’s being manipulated as well as executing sinister motives possibly aimed at frustrating governance in the state.

The group said:”It is very clear the EFCC is hell bent on frustrating the government and indeed governance in Benue state and this should be condemned by all democracy loving people.

“Just recently, the EFCC illegally froze the account of the Benue state government and when it was roundly condemned by Nigerians of good conscience plus the international backlash they got, they unfroze the account and denied freezing the account.

“The EFCC also singed Benue state out of the 36 states in Nigeria to investigate its security vote even though it has found no substance. Not done, the EFCC is asking for minutes of security meeting? Is it to leak to enemies of the Benue state to further attack Benue?”

It accused the EFCC under its acting chairman, Mr. Ibrahim Magu of being compromised, stressing that he is jeopardising the lofty ideals that the commission’s founding fathers had when setting it up.

“Magu has reduced the EFCC to an attack dog and witch hunt of perceived political enemies of the ruling APC.
“Based on this recent ignoble role of the EFCC, The Managing Director of G – Complex Nig. Ltd, Abdulhamid Mahmud Zari, had recently petitioned President Muhammadu Buhari to halt EFCC’s illegal closure of his businesses. He said he lost over N20bn over that illegal closure of his facility.

“Thus, we reiterate our earlier position that Mr. Magu has gravely compromised his office as an impartial anti economic crimes fighter and should be sacked.

“We call on the Acting President, Prof. Yomi Osinbajo to without hesitation sack Mr. Ibrahim Magu, the EFCC acting chairman as he is a danger to democracy.

“Magu has also clearly taken sides, compromised his office in the discharge of his duty, which is against the oath he took, except of course, he is taken orders from the presidency to torment Gov Ortom for daring to defect from APC.

“Let it be on record that Magu and co-travelers continued persecution of Ortom is a call to anarchy in Benue state. Should that happen, Mr. Magu and the federal government should be held accountable,” it stated.