Magu: Salami panel recommends probe of bank, chairman says no regret as details emerge on plea for mercy

The Justice Ayo Salami Judicial Commission of Inquiry may have recommended the First City Monument Bank (FCMB) for a thorough investigation on how a whopping sum of N573 million got paid into a customers account for nearly four years without detection, until a probe into alleged misdemeanours against embattled Acting Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Mr. Ibrahim Magu, began.

The commission, which final report is to be ready in a few weeks, also wants the Central Bank and the National Deposit Insurance Corporation (NDIC) to find out how such ‘mistakes’ were perpetrated by the same bank with 27 customers across the country.

Many have hinted at an alleged cover up of fraudulent activities, but the bank has since apologised to the Pastor for the error and attendant embarrassment.

Everyday.ng learnt that the commission is seeking that appropriate disciplinary measures be taken against the bank, if found wanting, even as the Chairman of the Commission, Justice Ayo Salami, denied that he has regrets over his heading of the panel investigating Magu.

He pointedly accused Magu’s lawyers of peddling the lie of his alleged regrets, just as one of Magu’s lawyer clarified reports that he pleaded for his neck.

The counsel to Magu admitted that Magu and himself addressed the panel where Magu clarified that he threw himself to the job of acting chair because of his passion for the anti-corruption war, a situation that may be alleged to be overzealousness in some quarters.

“He however pleaded for justice and fair-play by the panel members in the context of his overall achievements and his fledging career which hitherto remain unblemished and will terminate in two years time” the counsel added.

According to insiders in the panel, Magu allegedly admitted that his zeal to succeed was the driving force that caused him to step on toes, and act without considering the complexities of the assignment and the interplay of forces.

Said the source: “With this assignment and the revelations from the assignment, he realised that he has really messed up; and going by his background, he lost his father at a very young age, and his elders ones are also not alive, he said he had no one to talk to. That is what he said contributed to his behaviour while in office. His main focus while in office was to succeed, to succeed, to succeed. He didn’t bother about the intricacies involved in managing that office”.

The source went on to cite examples of what contributed to his fall from grace adding that if the suspended EFCC boss had stepped aside to attend a course at the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies in Kuru, near Jos, Plateau State, as was recommended last year, he would not have been caught up in the deadly game now haunting him.

“It is true he pleaded not to be disgraced, but be allowed to go quietly so as to retire quietly in a little more than a year”, the source said.

He added, “If a close person gets in touch with him over someone having problems with his boys, rather than help or remain aloof for the investigations to take its course,, he asks for the detention of the person.

“In a matter involving the Attorney-General, and a more senior government official, the official wanted one of his aides not to be mentioned personally in a matter involving companies his aide had interests; but because somebody used staff of Attorney General to make an enquiry about the case, he flared up and made a wrong move.

“When they approached him to release the bank accounts of this guy, he returned the top government official’s aide’s name to the list of those to be prosecuted, out of anger, defying that (very top government official).

“(I think his overzealous nature is one of his main undoing). Remember he handcuffed the (former Inspector General of Police) Tafa Balogun without been instructed to. The same attitude he had toward Farida, he didn’t want to hear anything about her because she investigated him.

“If he had quietly agreed to go to NIPSS last year, all this would not have happened.
He was due to go there but allegedly st
lobbied against it that he wants to retire as EFCC chairman”.

On whether the report of the panel will be ready in a fortnight as speculated, the source said, “We are not sure because we need to inspect seized assets across the country. Another issue is the management of recovered assets. Those vehicles around National Mosque have been vandalised. Many don’t have their engines intact. If they had been sold, the money would have been used in other areas by government. So, we will first have to inspect and confirm the state of the recovered assets.

“They have messed up the Commission. Once an officer is given an assignment to investigate, it is like saying that is your own pot of soup, go and do with it as you like…if you hear what has happened in the EFCC in the last five years you will cry”.

Meanwhile, in a statement he personally signed to counter reports of his having regrets over the Magu assignment, Justice Salami wrote:” My attention has been drawn to the false and mischievous reports circulating in the media about my purported regrets as Chairman of the Judicial Commission of Inquiry investigating the suspended Acting Chairman of the EFCC, Ibrahim Magu.
Ordinarily, I would not have dignified the purveyors of this falsehood with any form of rebuttal, but the need to put the records straight and expose their barefaced lies has necessitated my response.

“No claims can be further from the truth than the outright falsehood contained in the said report.

“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.

“I have 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.

“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.

“I want to state here that these type of lies and blackmail will not deter me and other members of the Commission from discharging our duty conscientiously.

“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 allega tions against the suspended acting EFCC Chairman with a view to unearthing the truth and ensuring justice is manif estly done.

“The Nigerian Press is hereby implored 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”.

But reacting to reports regarding Magu’s closing remarks to the Commission of Inquiry, his lawyer, Barr. Wahab Shittu, said what he told the panel twisted-Wahab Shittu

In a statement, he said, “Our attention has been drawn to a misleading story in a certain online medium with a misleading headline – Magu confesses, Begs: I Was Overzealous as Acting Chair of EFCC, Please Save My Career.

“We wish to state that this story was twisted fundamentally out of context by my client’s accusers who want to hit back at my client without justification.

“It is true that Magu and my humble self addressed the panel at the conclusion of his defence while Magu clarified that he threw himself to the job of acting chair because of his passion for the anti-corruption war, a situation that may be alleged overzealousness in some quarters.

“He however pleaded for justice and fair-play by the panel members in the context of his overall achievements and his fledging career which hitherto remain unblemished and will terminate in two years time.

“Counsel to Magu also urged the panel members in the interest of fear of God and loyalty to their conscience to ensure justice in the matter and concluded by thanking them for patience and understanding throughout the proceedings.

“At no time did Magu admit to guilt to the allegations, the subject matter of the inquiry. Indeed the only thing going for Magu is his conviction of his innocence.
A member of the panel had cause to inquire from me whether I am convinced that the panel will do justice to my client? I responded in the affirmative and I hope my optimism of the justice of the process at the end will not be illusory.

“As Nigerians wait on the Justice Salami- led judicial commission of inquiry to do justice in this matter, we call on commentators in the public space to comment based on facts and law and particularly based on the justice of the case.

“The Judicial Commission Inquiry inaugurated by President Muhammadu Buhari on 3rd July 2020 “……..For the Investigation of Mr Magu Ibrahim, The Ag. Chairman Of The EFCC For Alleged Abuse Of Office And Mismanagement Of Federal Government Recovered Assets And Finances From May 2015 To May 2020” has progressed appreciably with a lot of work and sacrifices by the members and all those connected to the inquiry.

“The main preoccupation of the inquiry is to unearth the truth and nothing but the truth with no grandstanding, sensationalism, dramatization or any attempt at coloration of the truth. This is the major concern of all Nigerians. On Friday 25th of September 2020 after days of sittings, Mr. Ibrahim Magu the subject of the inquiry rendered all his defence in the proceedings and ever since that development, a lot of stories have been flying around in the public space. The danger is that these orchestrated stories in the public space may have the effect of shifting the real focus from the quest for facts and truth which is the real focus of the inquiry to sensationalism, half truths, propaganda which will neither benefit either Nigerians who are interested in the real facts and truth nor the panel members who have toiled for days to execute the assignment including the subject of inquiry whose proclamation of guilt or innocence will define his future career and his perception in the public space.

“The above is the compelling need for these interventions as law officer in the temple of justice who witnessed most of the proceedings from the beginning and actually served as counsel to the subject of inquiry.

“In this intervention, I intend to be as fair and objective as possible owing my loyalty to the fear of God and my conscience”.