Magu: No Amount Of Media Propaganda Can Stop Probe, Justice Salami Tells Lawyers

Justice Ayo Salami, the chairman of the presidential panel probing corruption allegations against Ibrahim Magu has said no amount of “media propaganda” can help the suspended acting chairman escape justice.

Salami said the panel under his leadership will ensure it carries out “thorough investigation” of the various corruption allegations levelled against Magu.

The retired Appeal Court President was reacting to a publication which claimed that he had expressed regrets over his appointment as the chairman probing the suspended EFCC chairman.

“The reports were a figment of the wild imagination of the reporter, the two lawyers quoted as his sources and the medium that published the story. There was no time anything near the unthinkable scenario painted in the false story occurred in any meeting between myself and the lawyers to Magu or any other person, for that matter, since the Judicial Commission of Inquiry began its sittings,” Salami said in a statement he personally signed on Tuesday.

According to Salami, he has “no cause to express any regret over my Chairmanship of the Commission, not to talk of betraying any form of emotion before anyone about it. I see my appointment to serve as the Chairman of the Commission of Inquiry as an honour and call to service, thus my decision to accept diligently and patriotically discharge this responsibility.”

The retired justice, who said he had not appointed any lawyer to speak on his behalf as claimed in the report, accused Magu’s lawyers of sponsoring the publication.

He said the aim of the alleged media campaign was to tarnish the reputation he had worked hard to build over the years.

“I have never appointed any of the two lawyers or any other person(s) to speak on my behalf as I can express myself without recourse to the lawyers of the persons we are probing. As an eminent jurist, who retired as the President of the Court of Appeal, I have handled much more complex cases than the current one before the Commission.

“There is no doubt that the false reports were aimed at causing mischief and tarnishing my hard-earned reputation and integrity. I remain resolute and committed to the service of the nation and ready to champion the ideals of justice and fairness.

“I want to point out that such wild claims against me and the Commission are not strange to me, given the manner in which the lawyers to Magu have been carrying on in the conduct of their client’s case before the Commission. Planting such lies in the media about proceedings at the panel has been their pastime. They believe that it is by engaging in such media propaganda against the Commission that their client can be easily absolved of the various allegations that have been brought against him,” he said.

Salami further warned that no amount of “lies and blackmail” will deter him and members of the panel from discharging their duty.

He said, “I urge Nigerians to disregard the falsehood contained in the viral reports. No amount of propaganda can dampen my spirit and that of the members of the Commission.

“I also want to assure Nigerians that the Judicial the Commission of Inquiry which I Chair, will continue with its thorough investigation of the allegations against the suspended acting EFCC Chairman with a view to unearthing the truth and ensuring justice is manifestly done.”

Salami urged Nigerians to ignore the reports of his purported regrets over the ongoing probe, while also imploring the media to, “respect and uphold the sanctity of the tenets of ethical journalism practice of verification of information, balancing reports and contacting appropriate sources before publishing their reports in the spirit of patriotism and national interest.”