12 SSS documents that nailed Magu

Further details have emerged throwing more light on the indictment of the acting chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Ibrahim Magu, by the State Security Service (SSS).

An SSS report made available by a group, Advocacy Justice to journalists and media houses on Friday, gave insights to the damning details presented by the SSS to the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice in respect of Magu’s rejection by the Senate last December.

Magu had been rejected by the Senate on December 14, 2016 following what the senators called adverse security report from the SSS.

Apparently acting on the orders of President Muhammad Buhari, the AGF had written the DG SSS to clarify Magu’s indictment.

The SSS, in an undated seven-page letter which referred to a letter from the AGF dated 19 December, 2016 with reference number HAGF/DSS/2016/VOL1/7, gave further insights into the security report submitted to the Senate.

The letter, titled “Re: Request for Additional Document /Information,” signed by Folashade Bello for the DG SSS, gave details of how the SSS arrived at its 14-paragraph indictment of Magu in its October 3, 2016 report to the Senate.

The SSS letter to the AGF has annexures A to L (12 documents in all) providing details of the findings on Magu.

Annexure ‘A’, according to the report, contained minutes of the 20th plenary meeting of the Police Service Commission on 20th December 2010, chaired by Mr  Parry Osayande. The annexure indicates that Magu was indicted after he was placed on disciplinary process and awarded “severe reprimand” for actions prejudicial to state security.

Annexure ‘B’, according to the report, contained a copy of professional statement of Air Commodore Mohammed Umar (rtd) who claimed to be the owner of a company that furnished the residence of Magu.

Annexure C, the report said, contained an allegedly forged memo said to have originated from the office of the Vice President but recovered from the home of Umar.  The report stated that the vice president’s office formally disowned the said memo.

In Annexure ‘D’, the document presented a letter from the office of the vice president affirming that Annexure ‘C’ was forged.

Again, in annexure ‘E’, the SSS indicated that it attached a copy of the progress report which was a confidential document from the Chief of Staff to the President but found in Umar’s residence.

Annexure ‘F’ was also said to contain bank documents in respect of EFCC’s recovery funds account said to have  also been  found in the residence of Umar during a search.

Annexure ‘G’ is said to contain a letter from the office of the National Security Adviser on the request to freeze an account which was recovered from Umar’s residence.

The letter also indicated that Annexure ‘H’ also contained a document addressed to the EFCC chairman from the NNPC on request to stop a debit order on an account.  It was said to have been recovered from Umar’s residence.

Anexures’ I’ and ‘J’ are also said to have been recovered from Umar’s residence and they are said to contain sensitive documents belonging to the EFCC but emanating from the NNPC.

The letter also claimed to have attached annexures ‘K’ and ‘L’. The annexures were said to be documents recovered from Umar’s residence after a search.

The letter said: “An officer appointed as Ag. Chairman of EFCC should by all means be of impeccable credentials, with proven integrity and capacity to lead the nation’s fight against graft in high and low places. This far, it is evident from Magu’s antecedents that he is by no means that kind of officer.”

The letter added that Magu exhibited “total lack of judgement by moving into a tastefully furnished accommodation without any scrutiny of how it was furnished.”