Magu probe: Olukoyede, EFCC secretary, ‘suspended’

Some officials of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) have received letters of suspension.

Although details of those suspended are yet to be made public, TheCable reports that Olanipekun Olukoyede, secretary to the commission, is among those who received the letters.

The development is not unconnected to the ongoing probe of Ibrahim Magu, suspended acting chairman of the EFCC.

Magu was arrested on July 6 and whisked to the presidential villa in Abuja, where he appeared before a panel set up by President Muhammadu Buhari to probe the operations of the EFCC under him.

The panel is headed by Ayo Salami, retired president of the appeal court.

On July 14, Abubakar Malami, attorney-general of the federation (AGF), sent a letter to Mohammed Umar, acting EFCC chairman, notifying him of the suspension of 12 directors in the commission.

TheCable also reports that some of the directors affected by the action have been involved in investigating Malami.

Magu through his lawyer Wahab Shittu has issued a statement thanking the probe panel for facilitating his release from custody.

“Our client wishes to place on record his appreciation to the chairman and members of the panel for ordering his release from custody on the 15th day of July 2020 without any conditionalities,” Shittu said.

“Our client appreciates this gesture given the fact that the panel has repeatedly stated that it did not order the detention of our client in the first place. Our client is grateful to the panel for the gesture.

Shittu also drew the panel’s attention to media reports which he claims are false and prejudicial to the proceedings of the panel.

“We state for the records that we are not in a position to query the honourable panel and certainly will never set out doing so,” he said

“Rather our intention was to draw the attention of the honourable panel to persistent falsehood publications concerning our client being orchestrated consistently in the public space in a manner that could prejudice the proceedings of this honourable panel.

“We apologize if any contrary interpretation of our intention is conveyed by the context in which the questions were raised in the referred letter. We hold the panel in the highest esteem.

He gave assurance that Magu has undertaken to offer his full cooperation with the panel in the discharge of its assignment.