PDP Wants Magu Arraigned In Court, Says World Is Watching With ‘Keen Interest’

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on Thursday called on the federal government under President Muhammadu Buhari to immediately arraign the suspended Acting Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) Ibrahim Magu, and others before a competent court.

Magu, who is being investigated by a presidential panel led by Ayo Salami, was released from police detention on Wednesday after 11 days.

He is under investigation for allegations of corruption. He was suspended by Buhari a day after he was invited by the panel last Monday, to allow for an independent investigation.

The PDP in a statement issued by its Spokesman, Kola Ologbondiyan, while reacting to the release of Magu from police custody, said the government’s “delay” to arraign Magu has heightened public apprehensions “over the integrity of the fight against corruption in Nigeria.”

Ologbondiyan said there is suspicion in the public over alleged attempt to give Magu a soft landing.

This, he said is “in order to cover up for certain top officials of the Buhari administration as well as some leaders of the All Progressives Congress (APC) alleged to have been indicted by the suspended EFCC chairman, in the course of his investigation by the Presidential Panel.”

According to the PDP Spokeman, the party’s position “is predicated on conflicting reports on the status of the processes related to Magu’s on-going investigations and the direction of the Federal Government on the matter. 

“Our party holds that where there are no undesirable underhand dealings, any government that is committed to the fight against corruption, in such a manner that the Buhari Presidency wants the world to believe it does, should have since perfected its processes and arraign the suspended EFCC acting Chairman in court, particularly with the weight of allegations and revelations unearthed at the Presidential panel.

“The fact is that the allegations of fraud including alleged stealing of billions of naira recovered by the EFCC among other accusations, which also include alleged transfer of stolen money to certain government officials, are already in the public domain.

“The expectation of Nigerians therefore is for the Federal Government to immediately arraign Magu before a court of competent jurisdiction and prosecute him in line with the dictates of our laws.

“Nigerians are apprehensive that the EFCC investigation might go the way of the huge cover up in the handling of cases of unbridled treasury looting in the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), the Federal Inland Revenue Services (FIRS), the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) among others where indicted officials were given a pat on the wrist without prosecution.”

Furthermore, the party informed the president that the world is watching the handling of the EFCC “fraud case with keen interest.”