Some forces want to pull me down, says Magu

Ibrahim Magu, acting chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), says there are forces “hell bent” on causing disaffection between him and the presidency.

In a statement on Thursday, Wilson Uwujaren, spokesman of the EFCC, dismissed reports on social media that Magu was desperate because he had not been confirmed as the substantive chairman of the EFCC.

He attributed the reports to forces that were not comfortable with his campaign to rescue the nation from the “grip of corruption”.

“In the last week or so, the social media has been awash with fictitious reports, all painting an uncanny picture of desperation by Magu over his purported non-confirmation as substantive chair of the EFCC, and of stricture within the rank and file of the EFCC workforce leading to resignations,” the statement by Uwujaren read.

“One of such reports is the one making the rounds in several gossip blogs.

“The report which is a parody of disingenuous invention of falsehood is the handiwork of mischievous people hell-bent on causing disaffection between the Magu-led EFCC and the executive on the one hand, and the members of staff of the EFCC on the other.”

“The EFCC wishes to put it on record that Mr. Magu does not bully anyone, and has not embarked on any mission aimed at blackmailing some highly placed personalities in the country such as Emirs, President Muhammadu Buhari’s appointees or any other individual, lowly or highly placed in the society.

The statement further refuted claims that the commission took to bullying its staff.

“The allusion to bullying and victimisation of EFCC staff is clearly designed to instigate the staff of the commission against its leadership as there is no truth in it,” the statement read.

“For the records, no ‘senior EFCC core official’ has resigned from the commission and insinuation of mass resignation at the commission is mere scaremongering. The same applies to the claim that a sensitive unit has been set up in the commission to bug the phone line of some persons. This is mischief taken too far.”