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Aidoghie Paulinus, Abuja
The Anti-Corruption and Research-Based Data Initiative (ARDI), has asked the Presidential Advisory Committee Against Corruption (PACAC) and the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP), to appreciate the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, for his oversight function on the suspended Acting Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Ibrahim Magu.
The Executive Secretary of ARDI, Chief Dennis Aghanya, made the call in Abuja, following criticisms from PACAC and SERAP over the probe of Magu, following a petition to President Muhammadu Buhari by Malami.
Aghanya said preliminary reaction of Professor Femi Odekunle, a member of PACAC to the arrest of Magu, as the considered position of PACAC, having conferred with PACAC chairman and other members, according to him, is un-dignifying and inappropriate for a body charged with the responsibility of advising President Buhari on anti-graft matters.
“Prof. Odekunle described the weighty allegations enunciated by the Hon. Attorney General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami, in his memo to Mr. President and the quizzing of Magu for interrogation by a Presidential panel, chaired by a former President of the Court of Appeal, Justice Ayo Salami, as (implying) a witch-hunt. According to his words: “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.”
“Prof Odekunle’s outburst against the office of the Hon. Attorney General of the Federation, in our considered opinion, is the actual act of sabotage of Mr. President’s fight against corruption, openly antagonizing another constituted authority of the Federal Government,” Aghanya said.
Aghanya also noted SERAP’s surprising reaction few hours after Magu’s arrest and his interrogation by Justice Ayo Salami’s Presidential panel.
He said SERAP’s Deputy Director, Kolawole Oluwadare, issued a statement stating that his organization was concern over what it called “arbitrary arrest” and insisted that Magu must either be charged with a recognizable criminal offense or released immediately and allowed to do his job without fear of reprisals.
“We commend SERAP for always standing up to issues of national concern, but wish to express disappointment at the haste with which it issued such statement on the arrest without recourse to the ongoing interrogation of Magu by the presidential panel as at that moment.
“Abubakar Malami, as the Chief Law officer of the Federation, is saddled with the responsibility of living up to the demands of his office and to ensure thus, his memo to Mr. President contains 22 serious weighty allegations against Ibrahim Magu which bothers on unprofessional dealings in terms of his duties,” Aghanya also said.
Aghanya added that just like in the case of the former Chief Justice of Nigeria, Walter Onnoghen, which ARDI exposed as an anti-corruption organization, the allegations against Magu were allegations of integrity deficit against an officer of the law.
“President Buhari, in his wisdom, has acted swiftly and ensured a fair process of interrogating Magu by Salami. So why the criticism of Malami?
“What Prof. Odekunle and PACAC and SERAP should have done is to encourage Magu to debug all such allegations against him in the HAGF’s memo. Maligning the HAGF for performing his constitutional duties is the height of ignorance of whoever that chooses to call Malami names,” Aghanya concluded.
