EFCC set to repatriate 18 high-profile looters

Acting chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Mr Ibrahim Magu, has said that the antigraft agency is set to repatriate 18 high profile looters hiding in different parts of the world.

Speaking with journalists in Ilorin on Tuesday during a visit to the Ilorin zonal office of the EFCC, Magu assured Nigerians that the commission would pursue anti-graft war with a renewed vigour this year.

“We will repatriate all looters hiding anywhere in the world. I think there are about 18 of them; I mean high profile looters.

“This is just the beginning. We will request more extradition to bring back all the looters who are hiding outside this country. The fight against corruption has just started. It’s a renewed fight this year. It’s going to be bigger,” he said.

Magu, who said the EFCC alone cannot fight corruption in the land, solicited the cooperation of all Nigerians in the crusade, “more so when some people do not believe that corruption is wrong.

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“We rely on the media to help carry on activities on sensitisation and mobilisation against corruption.”

The EFCC boss said that there would be a massive and aggressive campaign against corruption, “starting mid-February this year in all states of the federation with use of serving corps members, in particular, as well as youth and civil society organisations.”

Magu, who debunked the insinuation that the EFCC was established in Ilorin, Kwara State because of the immediate past Senate President, Bukola Saraki, said that “It’s not true and it’s not fair. See, Kwara State is one of the oldest states in the North Central geopolitical zone. It deserves a headquarter of the EFCC. People should be protesting why the EFCC was not brought here earlier.”

He added that no ongoing corruption cases across the country would be abandoned midway, assuring that suspects would be charged to court as soon as investigations on such cases were completed.

He, however, sought the cooperation of the Nigerian media to enable the agency to succeed in its efforts at making Nigeria corruption-free.

“We need the cooperation of the media in making Nigeria corruption-free. EFCC cannot do it alone,” Magu said.