Ekiti Governor accuses Magu of blackmailing governors

Ekiti state governor, Ayodele Fayose, has accused the acting chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Ibrahim Magu, of blackmailing state governors with his position.

Chairman of the Nigeria Governors Forum (NGF), Governor Abdulaziz Yari of Zamfara state, is under EFCC investigation, under suspicion of looting N500 million and $500,000 from the Paris Club refunds.

The governor, while speaking on Wednesday, July 5, 2017, said, "The EFCC is obviously blackmailing state governors on the Paris Club refunds."

ALSO READ: How Zamfara Gov allegedly diverted N500m, $500,000 to build Lagos hotel

An Abuja Federal High Court has ordered an interim forfeiture of the monies the EFCC said it recovered from First Generation Mortgage Bank Limited, and Gosh Projects Limited.

The two firms were allegedly linked to Yari, with the anti-graft agency saying he masterminded the fraudulent diversion of the funds from the NGF's bank account.

In reaction, Fayose said, "Rushing to court to seek forfeiture of properties on which no one had been convicted and maligning the NGF chairman is to say the least, irresponsible.

"It is like a man stealing your money and now coming back to give you conditions to refund the money he stole and also telling you how to spend the money.

"For instance, EFCC was the one that investigated and it was the one that went to court to file ex-parte application, seeking interim forfeiture of N500 million and $500,000 it claimed was looted from the Paris Club refunds. No defence from any of the accused.

"Yet, Governor Yari is already being presented to the public as a thief by the EFCC. This irresponsibility must stop because these attacks on the person of NGF chairman by Magu and by extension the entire governors in Nigeria must stop."

Fayose asked that all 36 state governors resist the EFCC's campaign to damage their integrity with constant media trials.