The Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria, HURIWA, has called on President Muhammadu Buhari to appoint “a capable hand” to head the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC.
HURIWA observed that the next Chairman of the commission should be someone who will take the commission out of politics.
The rights group made the call while reacting to the ongoing probe of Magu.
The activities of EFCC under Magu is currently being probed, following an indictment by the Attorney General of the Federation, AGF, and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami.
Magu was on Monday whisked away by a combined team of Department of State Services (DSS) operatives and police officers to the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
Magu was taken before a Presidential Panel reviewing activities of the anti-graft agency for questioning.
But EFCC’s Head of Media and Publicity, Dele Oyewale, had disclosed that Magu was only invited by the panel sitting at the Presidential Villa and was not arrested.
However, HURIWA’s National Coordinator, Emmanuel Onwubiko, in a statement lamented that EFCC under Magu’s leadership was politicized.
According to Onwubiko: “This EFCC under Ibrahim Magu did nothing when the late Chief of Staff to President Muhammadu Abba Kyari came under series of accusations of collecting huge bribes from MTN and allegedly engaging in many cases of frauds and contract scams.
“EFCC has watched as the National Social Investment Scheme under the Presidency failed to account for how over N500 billion budgetary releases were spent just as there are allegations that ghost beneficiaries were paid the social INVESTMENT PROGRAMME MONEY without any iota of accountability and transparency.
“The National Emergency Management Agency was embroiled in widespread corruption running into several billions in which the name of the Vice President was mentioned but this EFCC looked the other way and watched as the disgraced Director General of NEMA destroyed NEMA before he was fired.
“HURIWA has, therefore, decided to ask the President to reorganize the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and appoint a capable hand to pilot the affairs of EFCC devoid of politics.”
