A coalition of civil society organisations have insisted that President Muhammadu Buhari must urgently drop the acting chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission if the anti-corruption crusade of the administration must succeed.
The Director General of the coalition accused the EFCC under Magu of engaging in media trial.
A coalition of civil society organisations have insisted that President Muhammadu Buhari must urgently drop the acting chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission if the anti-corruption crusade of the administration must succeed.
According to a Vanguard report, the groups under the aegis of Global Centre for Conscious Living Against Corruption, bared their minds Thursday, during a protest against Magu in Abuja.
The protesters attempted to take the demonstration to the headquarters of the EFCC at Formella Street, but were blocked by riot policemen manning the agency.
The groups accused Magu of using a Gestapo style, playing to the gallery and violating the fundamental rights of other Nigerians in the execution of the anti-corruption war.
The Director General of the coalition, Dr Nwambu Gabriel, who had earlier addressed the press at the Rockview Hotel, directly opposite the EFCC headquarters, admitted that graft had become a menace against the growth and development of Nigeria and must be fought with all sense of seriousness. Nwambu accused the EFCC under Magu of not only engaging in media trial but also exposing vital and confidential documents of the government in violation of the Code of Conduct Act, Oath of Secrecy and the Nigerian Constitution.
According to him, Magu has turned President Muhammadu Buhari’s fight against corruption into a laughing stock across the world. He argued that considering the report of the Department of State Security (DSS) against Magu and the non-confirmation of his appointment by the Senate, Magu’s continued stay in office as Acting Chairman for over 90 days was a clear violation of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
Gabriel said, “Ironically, the mode of operation of the EFCC has brought several cases of gross violation of human rights of the citizens. The fact that EFCC goes to the extent of trying suspects on the pages of newspapers is rather alarming and embarrassing Nigeria in the League of Nations. This explains why the EFCC has been losing most of its high profile cases in the courts of law,” he said.
He recalled how the agency lost five high profile cases within 96 hours and how several suspects were tried and convicted on the pages of the newspapers, blogs and various social media platforms, only for the same people to be cleared by courts of competent jurisdictions. The coalition said that in interest of peace and respect for the tenets of modern democracy, Magu should immediately be removed as the Acting Chairman of the EFCC and replaced with a more competent and committed person if the present administration must realise its goals of eradicating corruption from the system.
“For the fact that President Muhammadu Buhari is a respecter of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, and in consideration of the DSS report against Magu and consequent upon the non-confirmation of Mr. Magu by the Senate as the Chairman of the EFCC, Magu’s continuous stay in office as Acting Chairman for over the mandatory 90 days, is a clear violation of the Constitution of Nigeria.
“Magu is now operating another constitution within the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, which calls for redress,” the coalition said.
Source: Vanguard News
