How EFCC Chairman avoided questions on Buratai's Dubai property scandal

dimeji akinloye

July 13, 2016 4:12 AM

The EFCC boss had positioned to answer questions from the journalists but as soon as the the first question bordering on Buratai was asked, he made a U-turn.

Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) boss-Ibrahim Magu.

The Acting Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Mr.

Magu was said to have been departing the Rockview Classic Hotel, in Abuja, on Tuesday, July 12, venue of a one-day workshop on anti-corruption,’ when he was approached by newsmen for an interview.

According to report, the EFCC boss had positioned to answer questions from the journalists but as soon as the the first question bordering on Buratai was asked, he made a U-turn and jumped into his waiting car.

Earlier at the event, Magu had lamented the level of corruption in the Nigerian system, citing various examples, including that of a civil servant who paid over N800m as legal fee to lawyers - he queried how a civil servant could have legitimately raised that huge sums of the money for legal fee.

Incidentally, Buratai had claimed that he purchased his Dubai assets with his personal savings.

However, some prominent Nigerian groups and individuals, including Femi Falana (SAN), have called on President Muhammadu Buhari to sack the army chief if he fails to voluntary resign.

While speaking at the event which was co-organised by the Nigerian Bar Association and the Presidential Advisory Committee Against Corruption, Magu said the EFCC will start going after lawyers.

READ: 'We're going after bank MDs,' Magu says

“I don’t want to mention some of our strategies, but we will start going after people now. If you are involved in laundering money, we will go after you it doesn’t matter who you are because the law does not respect anybody – whether you are the EFCC chairman, whether you are SAN," he said.

“Sooner or later we will look at how people assist people to buy properties with stolen funds, how people assist others to escape justice and we will go after them.

“But for now, I want to say, please, join us in the fight against corruption to save this country so that our children and grandchildren will have a greater Nigeria."

Magu said the issue of human rights needs to be de-emphasised in the ongoing war against corruption, urging lawyers to carry out their duties with priority to national interests.

dimeji akinloye