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The Acting Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC), Ibrahim Magu said the ongoing war against corruption by the current administration was almost lost and that for it to succeed a lot needs to be done. Magu stated this on Wednesday during a parley with newsmen in Abuja. He disclosed that the reason why the Commission was having a hard time dealing with the issue was that corruption was fighting back.

According to him “The way we are going we have already failed. I am telling you we have almost failed. It is almost lost. The battle against corruption is not only evil, it is a poison,”
He, however, hinted that the Commission has made little progress between January and August 2017.


“Regardless of the challenges that we have faced and continue to face, I am happy to report that we are making progress. Many of you are aware of the achievements that we have recorded in the fight against corruption especially in the area of assets recovery. Two days ago, we got the court to forfeit to the Nigerian Government a sum of N7.6 billion which was hidden in a Nigerian bank by former petroleum resources minister, Diezani Alison-Madueke."

 

“Two weeks earlier, another court issued a temporary forfeiture order to seize properties worth Twenty One Million, Three Hundred and Ninety-Two Thousand, Two Hundred and Twenty Four Thousand Dollars ($21,392,224) belonging to the same former minister. Those properties are awaiting final forfeiture."

 

“Over a month ago, the Commission recovered over N329 billion from a group of oil marketers for the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation. These are major recoveries from a sector of the economy. But to give a holistic picture of the aggressive drive to recover stolen wealth, I have the pleasure to report that the Commission between January and August 30, 2017 recorded the following monetary recoveries:
                       • “Four Hundred and Nine Billion, Two Hundred and Seventy Million, Seven Hundred and Six Thousand, Six Hundred and Eighty Six Naira, Seventy Five Kobo (N409, 270, 706,686.75)";
                       • Sixty Nine Million, Five Hundred and One Thousand, One Hundred and Fifty Six Dollars, Sixty Seven Cents ($69, 501,156.67)";
                       • "Two Hundred and Thirty One Thousand, One Hundred and Eighteen Pounds, Sixty Nine Shillings (Pounds 231,118.69; Six Hundred and Ten Thousand, Eight Hundred and Sixteen Thousand, Twenty Euros (Euro 610,816.20)"; and
                       • "Four Hundred and Forty Three Thousand, Four Hundred Dirham (Dirham 443,400.00 and (Seventy Thousand, Five Hundred Saudi Riyal (SR70, 500.00)."

 

The Acting Chairman who tacitly confirmed the reported rift with the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF), Abubakar Malami noted that the resistance and opposition expressed in different guises were expected.

 


“Ladies and gentlemen, it would be naïve for anyone to expect the fight against corruption to be smooth; you should expect resistance and opposition which are expressed in various guises. From what we read in the papers these days, it is either somebody is fighting Magu or Magu is fighting other people. I know that journalists want to sell their newspapers, but seriously speaking, instead of fighting ourselves, we should be united in fighting the common enemy, which is corruption.

 

“Personally, I am not after anybody and have no issues with anybody. Those who think they have issues with me will soon discover that I mean no harm. What drives me is the passion to do what is right by ensuring that we fight corruption to a standstill in this country.

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