EXCLUSIVE: Buhari writes senate, appeals for Magu’s confirmation

President Muhammadu Buhari has urged the senate to confirm Ibrahim Magu, an assistant commissioner of police, as the substantive chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), TheCable understands.

In a letter sent to Senate President Bukola Saraki on Sunday night, Buhari was silent on the allegations levelled against Magu by the Department of State Services (DSS) which the senate said it relied upon to halt the confirmation in December.

The details of the letter are expected to be read at the senate plenary on Tuesday, TheCable was informed.

DSS accused Magu of flying first class against government regulations, living in a house paid for by “corrupt” businessman and being in possession of classified documents 10 years ago.

These were dismissed as trumped-up allegations by sources close to Magu, who said his first class ticket was personally paid for by the EFCC chairman.

It also emerged that the house where he currently lives was paid for by the Federal Capital Development Authority (FCDA).

The confidential documents he was accused of possessing were reportedly those indicting prominent politicians whose investigations he led as the head of EFCC’s economic governance unit before he was unceremoniously removed under the late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua in 2008.

TheCable reported that the attorney-general of the federation, Abubakar Malami, in a memo dated December 19, 2016, asked Magu to respond to the DSS allegations – which he promptly did, denying all the accusations.

Saraki and Buhari have met several times after that, during which Magu’s confirmation was discussed.

Magu also worshipped with Buhari at the presidential villa mosque early January.

There were then reports that he had been redeployed out of EFCC, but presidential spokesman Garba Shehu described the stories as “speculative”.

Magu was appointed acting chairman of EFCC in November 2015 but the letter for his confirmation was sent to the senate only in July 2016 by Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo while the president was on a 10-day vacation in the UK.

The screening was postponed several times before it was put off in December because of the DSS report.