Lai: Buhari will take action on the feud between Malami and Magu

Lai Mohammed, minister of information, says President Muhammadu Buhari will take “appropriate action” on the feud between Abubakar Malami, attorney-general of the federation, and Ibrahim Magu, acting chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

Speaking during an interview on Channels Television, the minister said both men had the interest of the nation at heart but only differed on approach and methodology.

He also said the disagreement between them would not have a negative effect on the war against corruption.

“There are divergent views between the AGF and the EFCC chairman and the appropriate authorities will look into it,” he said.

“The fact that the AGF and the EFCC chairman do not see eye to eye on the methods or the approach does not mean that both of them do not believe in the ultimate which is that corruption must be addressed.

“If they disagree on approach, then the president will look into the matter and make his pronouncement. He will ask why the AGF is taking such a position and why the EFCC chairman is taking another position.

“This, to me, is a purely administrative matter and if it is not, Mr President will take appropriate action. The President is aware and is investigating it. He is the employer of both of them.”

On August 1, TheCable reported that the office of the attorney-general of the federation was heading for a showdown with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for allegedly breaching the rules in its prosecutions.

But in a swift response, Wilson Uwujaren, spokesman of the anti-graft agency, disputed the report, attributing it to some corrupt persons “who have continued to push the false narrative into media headlines”.

Some days after his denial, Malami admitted that all was not well between him and the anti-graft czar but did not go into details.

Three weeks after, Sahilu Othman, Malami’s media aide, wrote an article where he accused the EFCC of misusing intelligence to the detriment of the anti-graft war.

He blamed the agency for the suspension of Nigeria by the Egmont Group, a body responsible for the exchange financial intelligence to fight money laundering and terrorism financing.

TheCable had also reported how the group, which comprises financial intelligence units of 153 countries, suspended Nigeria owing to the interference of the EFCC in the activities of the Nigeria Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU).

A few days after the report, the senate passed the Nigeria Financial Intelligence Unit bill to make the unit independent of the EFCC in line with the demands of the group.