Governor tells Magu to stop 'making noise' about Paris Fund

Zamfara State Governor, Abdulaziz Yari threatened to report Acting Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to the Federal Government for intimidating governors.

The Chairman of the Nigeria Governors' Forum (NGF) is under EFCC investigation, suspected of looting N500 million and $500,000 from the Paris Club refunds.

The EFCC, under Magu's directive, has accused the forum, under Yari's stewardship, of diverting parts of the Paris Club loan.

The Zamfara state governor has fired back at the allegations, accusing the agency of only engaging in acts that'll get it in the news which is why it has a bad track record in court.

While speaking to journalists in Abuja, he said, "All EFCC wants is for Nigerians to know it has invited a governor or that one former governor is arrested."

He went on to threaten to protest to the Federal Government to stop the harassment from the agency, challenging Magu to interview him.

He said, "I am going to write to the Federal Government that enough is enough; that either the EFCC should do its work or we should 'do showdown' with them because nobody became governor to be intimidated, to be harassed, to be abused by a DCP.

"You can’t fight corruption that way and forever, they will not achieve anything.

"In the case of my humble self, I have no idea why the EFCC is actually interested in the issue of the London Paris Club refund. It has been on this since inception up till now. It has been repeating, contradicting so many things especially about personalities."

He continued, "So, if there is anything wrong there, it should approach the person whom it suspects did something wrong, and not to be making noise about it. I challenge the chairman of EFCC to open up and say if he has ever come to me and interviewed me about what happened.

"We didn’t commit any fraud. I am not a signatory to that account but I am the head. So, it is what governors agree that I, as chairman, append my signature on. So now, they are saying $86m fraud, N19bn fraud, $3m hotel; which one do we believe?"

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.

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

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.

Yesterday, July 6, 2017, Ekiti state governor, Ayodele Fayose, also accused Magu of harassing the NGF so as to blackmail them.

He said, "The EFCC is obviously blackmailing state governors on the Paris Club refunds.

"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.