Ibrahim Magu EFCC
Burden
Ibrahim Magu EFCC
Burden of Service: Adoke Lied – Magu
The acting Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes
Commission EFCC, Ibrahim Magu is alarmed by the brazen attempt by
former Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of
Justice, Mr Mohammed Bello Adoke (SAN), to rewrite history and
portray himself as victim of persecution regarding the Economic and
Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC’s) investigation of the OPL 245
Settlement Agreement (Malabu).
In the last few days the Nigerian media has been awash with
previews of Adoke’s book, titled: “Burden of Service: Reminiscences
of Nigeria’s former Attorney General,” in which he took aim at the
EFCC boss as being part of a deadly triumvirate that had been
hounding and persecuting him since he left office in 2015. The
other two alleged traducers, mentioned by Adoke are the Vice
President Yemi Osinbajo (SAN) and former senate leader, Senator Ali
Ndume. Adoke claims that he had been viciously maligned by this
threesome to the extent that he contemplated suicide.
Specifically, he claimed in Chapter 8 of the book, that Magu was
recruited by Prof. Osinbajo to hound and persecute him despite, as
he claimed, his role in reinstating Magu to the EFCC from the
police “where he had been vegetating.”
Adoke attributes his source of information on the alleged
Osinbajo instruction to Magu against him to an unnamed governor
from the North West, who according to him, claimed Magu told him
that he had the instruction of Osinbajo to “deal with Adoke.”
Adoke also claims that an unnamed senator also confided in him
that Magu nursed a personal grudge against him because he believed
that he (Adoke) owned half of the Centinary City in Abuja.
That Adoke neither named the North West governor nor the Senator
that provided the weighty intelligence on which he took Magu to the
guillotine in his book, could only mean one thing: the claims are
tissues of lies, contrived to entertain and attract underserved
attention to himself. The acting Chairman of EFCC Ibrahim Magu
categorically states that at no time did the Vice President
discuss, counsel, or direct him in any way on any issue concerning
Mr. Adoke. It is wicked and evil to make such a false allegation
against anybody especially where it is based on hearsay.
These yarns, being spewed by hirelings of the former AGF are
nothing but a marketing gimmick, dubiously orchestrated to wet
public appetite and sufficiently stir curiosity ahead of the
official release of the book on Monday, September 16, 2019.
But it is obvious that what Adoke is offering the reading public
in the account of his sojourn in governance is nothing but a
bouquet of half truths and plain lies.
The accounts in Chapters 8 and 9 as it relates to the EFCC and
its Chairman, Ibrahim Magu are not only inaccurate but self
serving.
For the records and emphasis, Magu never received any
instructions from the Vice President, neither had he communicated
verbally or in writing to any governor from the North-West or
senator about such a patently false purported instruction from
Osinbajo to “deal with Adoke.”
The EFCC is not the battle axe of political figures and could
not have been called out to deal with anyone. Adoke’s ploy is
simple. He wants to create a false narrative that the offenses for
which he has been charged are not genuine but are the product of
some high level conspiracy against him. But, first of all, there is
no discernible reason for such a conspiracy. Secondly, it is an
entirely false premise. It is clear that this is symptomatic of a
drowning man clutching at straws.
Adoke ran well outside the track when he said he was
instrumental to reinstating Magu, to the EFCC from the police
“where he had been vegetating.” The Commission is unaware of
Adoke’s role in Magu’s return to the Commission in 2012 after being
away for a few years. It is well known that the EFCC Acting
Chairman is a pioneer staff of the Commission, with many stripes to
his sleeves by way of accomplishments that have no link to
Adoke.
Magu and the EFCC have no interest in any public spat with Adoke
who remains a suspect under investigation for criminal offences and
against whom a competent court had issued a subsisting warrant for
his arrest. The said warrant has already been executed by the
International Police Organisation (INTERPOL) which placed him on
its wanted list. The option before Adoke is to return home and
answer to his charges.
It is however gratifying that the former AGF abandoned the idea
of committing suicide as taking that route would have amounted to a
monumental waste of resources on the part of the EFCC. So much has
been spent in diligently investigating the OPL 245 scandal that the
Commission needs Adoke to be alive to answer to his charges, and
clear his name before the court.
It makes no sense to deceive the people with claims that he had
been exonerated of any wrong doing by the court. As a senior
advocate, he should know that a civil suit cannot exonerate one
from criminal liability.
It is important for the public to know that the investigation of
the lucrative Oil Prospecting License 245 Settlement deal,
otherwise known as the Malabu Scandal, by EFCC was not an
enterprise in witch-hunt or malice. The Magu-led leadership of the
Commission, in consideration of persistent public demand for closer
scrutiny of the transaction, coupled with emerging information
suggestive of opacity in the consummation of the deal, acted in
national interest to determine that overall public good was not
sacrificed on the altar of personal interest of those who perfected
the deal.
The investigation had been discreet, with no threat of direct
physical harm to Adoke or any other person implicated in the
deal.
The Commission’s investigation holds Adoke liable in the matter
of the implementation of the settlement and resolution of
agreements on Oil Prospecting License OPL 245 and OPL214 between
Malabu Oil and Gas Ltd, belonging to former Petroleum Minister, Dan
Etete and the federal government of Nigeria in 2010.
It could be recalled that former President Olusegun Obasanjo had
revoked the OPL 245, which the late General Sani Abacha granted to
Etete, who was his Petroleum Minister and reassigned it Shell
Nigeria Exploration and Production Company. Etete’s Malabu Oil and
Gas, however, reclaimed the oil block in 2006 through the court.
While Shell challenged the decision, a fraudulent settlement and
resolution was perfected under former President Goodluck Jonathan’s
government with Shell and Eni buying the oil block from Malabu in
the sum of $1.1billion.
EFCC’s investigations however revealed crimes, that border on
conspiracy, forgery of bank documents, bribery, corruption and
money laundering to the tune of over $1.2 billon against Malabu Oil
and Gas Ltd, Shell Nigeria Ultra deep (SNUD) Nigeria Agip
Exploration (NAE) and their officials. Some of those officials are
already facing criminal trials in Switzerland and Italy.
The investigations further revealed that Etete and others
fraudulently received an aggregate sum of US$ 801,540,000 (Eight
Hundred Million, Five Hundred and Forty Thousand United States
Dollars) from Shell Nigeria Exploration Production Company, Nigeria
Agip Exploration Ltd and ENI SPA in relation to the oil prospecting
license.
Adoke as the then Attorney General of the Federation and
Minister of Justice allegedly abused his office in respect of the
granting of the oil prospecting license OPL 245 to Shell and
ENI.
A prima facie case, bordering on official corruption was
established by the Commission following the investigations,
culminating in court charges against Adoke, Etete and others, which
is still pending before the FCT High Court and the Federal High
Court.
The arraignment of Adoke SAN, Etete and others could not take
place because they along with other defendants have remained at
large, refusing to make themselves available for trial.
The former chief law officer of the federation prefers to remain in
self exile, and engage the Commission in needless media war.
Having now satisfied his long desire to titillate the public
with some tales by moonlight in the mould of a semi
author-biography, Adoke should now make himself available for
trial.
Wilson Uwujaren
Head, Media and Publicity