Finally, Buhari Sacks Magu Without Notice, Letter: Breaks Police Jinx |The Source

By Adesina Soyooye

The journey of CP Ibrahim Magu to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, ended on a dramatic note on Tuesday, February 16, 2021.

President Muhammadu Buhari sacked him without notice, and without any letter. The former Acting Chairman of the EFFC heard of his final sack from Media reports, after a letter from Buhari to the Senate, asking for the confirmation Abdulrasheed Bawa as Magu’s replacement was read on the floor of the Senate by Senate President, Ahmed Lawan. However, Magu’s Lawyer, Tosin Ojomo, insists his Client has not been sacked, and remains the EFCC Boss.

Magu has been on suspension since July 2020 when he was suspended from office by Buhari after his convoy was intercepted on his way to a meeting at the Force Headquarters.

That interception marked the beginning of his end at the EFCC, as he was hauled before a Presidential Investigative Panel.

The Panel, headed by a retired President of the Court of Appeal, Ayo Salami,investigated  Magu over allegations of corruption, misconduct, and disrespect for his supervisory Minister, made against him in a petition to the President, by Abubakar Malami, Attorney General of the Federation, AGF/Minister for Justice.

The Panel which sat for three months, has since submitted its report, but no action was taken  until February 16 when a replacement for Magu was announced.

Announcing Bawa as the substantive  EFCC Chairman, the President said nothing of Magu’s fate. However, it follows that he has been sacked, without any letter, or notice. It, also, relieves Mohammed Umar, who has been Acting as the Chairman since Magu’s suspension,  of the office. At the time of writing this, it was not clear if Umar will go back to his former position, or redeployed since he is Senior in rank to Bawa.

Bawa  Breaks 18 Year-old Record

Aside from Bawa, 40, being the youngest EFCC Chair to be ever appointed, he is the only one outside the Police to head the Commission. In the 18-year existence of the EFCC, it has always been headed by either a serving or retired Police Officer.

Its pioneer Chairman was Nuhu Ribadu, appointed when he was an Assistant Commissioner of Police. The next was AIG Farida Waziri, appointed long after her retirement from the Police. She was followed by the just retired DIG Ibrahim Lamorde, when he was a DCP.  The next was Ibrahim Magu, appointed when he was an ACP. He leaves the office as a CP.

One of the recommendations of the Justice Ayo Salami-Panel, is to discontinue the appointment of Police Personnel to head the EFCC.

The President apparently accepted it.

Chairmanship Still In The North

However, the President kept the seemingly unwritten policy to keep the Chairmanship of the Commission in the North.

Since the setting up of the EFFC by former President Olusegun Obasanjo, all the Chairmen have been Northerners of the Muslim fate. No Southerner has headed it

Bawa, Clean As A Whistle

The EFCC, on Wednesday, moved fast to shoot down a trending story which associated Bawa, its Chairman-Designate, with corruption when he was the Head of its Port Hacourt Office. Bawa, according to the story which has been dismissed by the EFCC as fake, was involved in the fraudulent sale of some trucks in the Commission’s PH Office, forfeited to the  Federal Government.

But in a swift response, EFCC Spokesman, Wilson Uwajaren, said: “As zonal Head of the Port Hacourt Office of the Commission in 2019, Bawa’s  responsibilities did not include the sale of trucks as the Commission has a full-fledged Directorate of Assets Forfeiture and Recovery Management, in which remit of such matters reside. Abdulrasheed Bawa has no corruption record.

The statement also said that the forfeited trucks in Port Harcourt were sold through Public auction carried out after Bawa had left PH.

“It is, therefore, illogical for him to have been indicted over an auction that was not superintend by him.”

Not Magu’s Boy

The story obviously meant to dent Bawa’s image, as it also associated Bawa with Magu, dubbing him “a Magu boy”, saying that Bawa had always publicly boasted that nothing could happen to him, even after the alleged fraudulent sale of trucks. Instead of a disciplinary action against Bawa, the story said, Magu merely removed him from PH, and brought him to Abuja.

A publication on Wednesday, quoted Magu as, allegedly, saying he was surprised at Bawa’s appointment.

Recall that on Magu’s suspension, all those allegedly known as “Magu’s Boys”, were, also, suspended from office.

Nothing has been heard, yet, of their fate.

Magu Not Sacked; The Future Before Him

One of Magu’s Counsels, Tosin Ojomo, insists, however, that President Buhari has not sacked his client, Magu. He said that there has been no letter to that effect, emphasising that Magu was still on suspension as the EFCC Chairman. Ojomo, also, noted that the report of the Investigative Panel was still being awaited.

It is expected, however, that now that a substantive EFCC Chairman has been nominated, one of three things will happen, and shape Magu’s future,

*Ask Magu, a CP, to go back to his normal Police job, in which case, he would report to the IGP for deployment.

*Retire him from the NPF. At 58 years old, he is expected to retire at the age of 60 years.

*If indicted for corruption by the Panel, dismiss him from the NPF and prosecute him in Court.

Whichever ever one, he has set a record as the first EFCC boss whose confirmation was rejected by the Senate, twice,  after five years in office.And, the first to be arrested and investigated.