EFCC arrest not politically motivated, says Magu

THE Acting Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC), Mr. Ibrahim Magu has insisted that none of the persons arrested by the commission for corruption was politically motivated.

Magu who spoke in Benin yesterday at the African Anti-Corruption day assured that whoever is found to be involved in corrupt practices irrespective of the political affiliation would be arrested and prosecuted.

He called on the judiciary to fully support the crusade against corruption in the country, noting that the bar and the bench both hold the key to the success in the ongoing fight against corruption.

Represented by the Head EFCC Zonal Office in Benin, Mr Yakubu Malafia, the EFCC boss noted that the day is special to the anti-graft agency because Nigeria has one of the most extensive and deeply entrenched cultures of corruption in the African continent.

He said: “This manifest in the increasingly large number of corrupt related investigations, litigations, convictions and recoveries made by the commission since 2003.”

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According to him, the depth and gravity of corruption in the country can be summarized when one realizes the fact that between January and July 2018 alone, the EFCC secured 142 convictions which included former Taraba state governor, Rev. Jolly Nyame and ex-Plateau state governor, Chief Joshua Dariye, former governors of Plateau and Taraba state respectively.

Magu called on Nigerians, trade union and civil society organisations to support the commission in restoring transparency, accountability and due process in governance.