We Are Investigating Everybody-Magu

By  Nwangwu Uba

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, appears to have closed in on Rochas Okorocha, a former governor of Imo state and  who has Presidential ambition for 2023 and Bukola Saraki,  a former governor of Kwara state , and the  Senate President.

 There are indications that the duo may move from their exalted office  to EFCC custody over allegations of Corruption and money laundering  currently being investigated by the Commission. Ibrahim Magu, acting Chairman, EFCC, who confirmed that the investigation everybody, mostly former office holders, said  they are doing  a ”couple of checks  and investigations  here and there”.

The acting EFCC Chairman, who appears to have mobilised his men to lay an ambush  against the former  governors, Commissioners and leadership of the National Assembly  including other public officials had said that that they have kept their investigations a closely guided secret   until the Commission get  to a certain level  before  it can give out any information to the public.

He noted that Commission had kept its action a closely guided secret  to action that  might jeopardise  or interfere  with the process of the ongoing inquiry on the former top government officials both at the state and national level.

Okorocha, the Imo state governor may have known that he is in trouble once he quits office on June 12, 2019, because of the petititions flying against him in the state which are in the custody of the EFCC, that he had invited Yemi Osibanjo, the Vice President , to Commission Projects executed  by his government in the last four years to justify how he spent the state internally generated revenue and allocations  from the Federal government in the last eight years to escape the anti-graft agency probe.  The Imo state governor had line up 50 projects including  a new Prison yard the state including facilities for other public institutions in the state to win the heart of President Muhammadu Buhari  to influence the EFCC, from looking into his records as governor of Imo state in the last four years.

If the comment of Osibanjo is anything to go by on the governor, the EFCC, has no basis of probing him.  ”I have gone round  the state  on several occasions  to look at the projects  Okorocha has executed   describing him as a ”great achiever”.

The Vice President  who could not hide  his feelings over what Okorocha  had done in Imo state in the last eight years  said, ”it is very important  to recognise what the the governor  has done  in the state in the last eight years. He is extremely commendable and I don’t know  how many other governors  who have done the amount of work he has done , especially the infrastructure, schools, hospital  among others that he built. Osibanjo may have a good impression of Okorocha performance in office in the last eights but Magu thinks differently and has no option but to probe him to prove his innocence.

He discountenace claims making the rounds that the Commission is probing Saraki because of his frosty relationship with the President in the last four years  by making things difficult  in the passage of Bills emanating from the Presidency.  Some of the Bills, particular, the Bill , recognising June 12, as Nigerian Democracy Day, which had been in the presented to the Senate  over the last one has just been passed to Law and forward to the President for his assent.

Saraki may have facilitated the signing of the Bill and several of such other Bills to win back the heart of the Katsina state born Nigerian President  and escape the EFCC probe to leave his quiet life but got it wrong .  This is because Magu, the EFCC, boss , he must answer to the allegations of Corruption Money laundering  against as he is not above the Law.

 Nigerian Immigration Service, NIS, sources  told  The Value News that there a number of politicians on the EFCC, list , who  they have been mandated must not be allowed to leave the country after June 12, including Okorocha and Saraki. This is bad news for the duo who may have planned to jet out of the country  after handing over to their successors. It is is not surprising why there is tight security at the major International Airports in the country  and the land  Border areas to forestall their escape.