The EFCC boss had positioned to answer questions from the journalists but as soon as the the first question bordering on Buratai was asked, he made a U-turn.
The Acting Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Mr. Ibrahim Magu, reportedly avoided to comment on the recent calls for the probe of the Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Tukur Buratai, over purchase of Dubai properties valued at $1.5 million.
Magu
was said to have been departing the Rockview Classic Hotel, in Abuja,
on Tuesday, July 12, venue of a one-day workshop on anti-corruption,’
when he was approached by newsmen for an interview.
According
to report, the EFCC boss had positioned to answer questions from the
journalists but as soon as the the first question bordering on Buratai
was asked, he made a U-turn and jumped into his waiting car.
Earlier
at the event, Magu had lamented the level of corruption in the Nigerian
system, citing various examples, including that of a civil servant who
paid over N800m as legal fee to lawyers - he queried how a civil servant
could have legitimately raised that huge sums of the money for legal
fee.
Incidentally, Buratai had claimed that he purchased his Dubai assets with his personal savings.
However, some prominent Nigerian groups and individuals, including Femi Falana (SAN), have called on President Muhammadu Buhari to sack the army chief if he fails to voluntary resign.
While
speaking at the event which was co-organised by the Nigerian Bar
Association and the Presidential Advisory Committee Against Corruption,
Magu said the EFCC will start going after lawyers.
“I
don’t want to mention some of our strategies, but we will start going
after people now. If you are involved in laundering money, we will go
after you it doesn’t matter who you are because the law does not respect
anybody – whether you are the EFCC chairman, whether you are SAN," he said.
“Sooner
or later we will look at how people assist people to buy properties
with stolen funds, how people assist others to escape justice and we
will go after them.
“But for now, I want
to say, please, join us in the fight against corruption to save this
country so that our children and grandchildren will have a greater
Nigeria."
Magu said the issue of human rights
needs to be de-emphasised in the ongoing war against corruption, urging
lawyers to carry out their duties with priority to national interests.
