Lawyers to the suspended acting chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Ibrahim Magu, say they are confident that he will return as EFCC chairman.
Magu is being investigated by a presidential panel over multiple allegations of fraud levelled against him by the Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami.
The lawyers filed an application to the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Mohammed Adamu, on Friday asking that Magu, who has been in detention since his arrest on Monday and whose suspension was approved by President Muhammadu Buhari on Friday, be granted bail.
One of the lawyers, Tosin Ojaomo, who spoke to BusinessDay on Friday, said they have written to the IGP and are now waiting for his response which will determine the next line action.
“But this IG is very law-abiding, we have confidence that on the receipt of our letter, immediately an administrative bail will be granted to Ibrahim Magu,” Ojaomo said.
“We sent this application today and we have copied the panel investigating him, we have also copied the chairman of the Presidential Action Committee Against Corruption (PACAC), Itse Sagay. So, we hope that any moment from now, we will be called upon to either take him on bail on self-recognisance or to come and provide sureties because everybody is equal before the law,” he told BusinessDay.
He said all the allegations levelled against Magu would be debunked in the long run and after the investigation, the embattled EFCC acting chairman would return to his office despite the “purported suspension”.
Magu, he said, is a victim of some powerful cabal who are against the war against corruption. He added, however, that the embattled EFCC boss would come out victorious and would resume the war against corruption with more vigour.
“I want you to know that the corruption in this country is so endemic, it is so cancerous and it’s almost like way of life in Nigeria such that whoever comes out to fight corruption they will always find a means to ensure that the war consumes that person; that is what is playing out. So, it is not easy to fight corruption in this country
“There is a corrupt but powerful cabal that made it impossible for Magu to come to power for so many years. But he will come out victorious,” he added.
