We didn't arrest Sen Akpabio's brother - EFCC Boss

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission Chairman, Ibrahim Magu, Wednesday disavowed the brother of former Governor of Akwa Ibom State, Ibanga, claims saying he had never met him nor spoken with him directly or through a third party.


Magu issued the disclaimer following reports by an online medium that the former governor’s brother had bought Magu and other top security chiefs in the country so he can deal ruthlessly with a former House of Representatives member, Robinson Uwak, who is having some political differences with the former governor, now a senator.

In the report, the online portal also attached an audio clip purported to be a conversation between Ibanga Akpabio and Magu on how to deal with Uwak, a claim Magu denies vehemently.

Magu disowned the claim in a statement released in Abuja and made available to Vanguard. The commission drew the attention of Nigerians to the fact that if Magu was Akpabio’s friend, he would not have been in detention in EFCC custody over N10 million fraud scam.

The statement said: “The attention of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has been drawn to a recorded audio conversation attached to a report with the caption, EFCC Detains Brother of Former Akwa Ibom State Governor Ibanga Akpabio, which appeared today, November 2, 2016 on the online news portal, Sahara reporters allegedly featuring two Akwa Ibom politicians, Ibanga Akpabio and a certain Osong.

“In the said audio recording, a voice purporting to be Akpabio could be heard dropping the names of some security chiefs including the acting Chairman of the Commission, Ibrahim Magu and boasting about the supposed EFCC boss’ willingness to help deal with his purported political adversaries in Akwa Ibom state, especially a certain Robinson Uwak.

“The Commission wishes to state that the claims in this tape especially as it affects Mr. Magu are patently false. The EFCC boss has never met Ibanga Akpabio all his life and could not have been party to any violent scheme to settle unknown political scores in Akwa Ibom State.

“Indeed, if Magu were Akpabio’s Man-Friday as he would have his ‘friend’ believe, he would not today be a suspect answering to charges of fraud before the Commission. “Members of the public are therefore enjoined to disregard the recorded conversation as plain braggadocio.” Meanwhile, the EFCC has detained Ibanga Akpabio at its Port Harcourt Zonal Office over alleged fraud worth N10 million.

A statement by the EFCC’s Spokesman, Wilson Uwujarenm, said Ibanga Akpabio was arrested on Tuesday in Port Harcourt, Rivers State in connection with the sum of N10 million which he allegedly collected from a potential investor in petroleum products. According to EFCC, Akpabio reportedly approached the unnamed businessman to invest the money as equity in the purchase of petroleum products directly from a floating station belonging to the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC.

The former Akwa Ibom SUBEB boss allegedly assured the inventor that he had secured all necessary approvals for the running of the business and was paid the N10 million through a Diamond Account being operated by Fastej Enterprises and neither kept faith with the business arrangements with the investor nor returned his money to him. EFCC confirmed Akpabio was being detained and undergoing interrogation in the Port Harcourt Zonal office of the commission.