• Admits commission facing toughest moments

From Iheanacho Nwosu and James Ojo, Abuja

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission( EFCC) yesterday said it has recovered over N409 billion stolen from government’s purse this year. However, the commission said it was facing its most challenging season in the war against graft within and outside its operational scope.

Within the commission, acting chairman, Ibrahim Magu, admitted at a press briefing that, at least, nine staff found wanting were dismissed while some are currently facing corruption charges in court.

“There is corruption everywhere, including the EFCC, but we are not relenting, we are handling it. I can say that, at least, nine staff found wanting have been dismissed from service, some of them are in court, and we shall continue to monitor everybody; and if you have information on any of my staff, please let us know because the war against corruption is everybody’s war,” he said.

Magu stated despite mounting challenges, the war against corruption has recorded tremendous success, particularly in areas of assets recovery and forfeiture to the federal government, adding that corrupt persons who teamed up to frustrate the commission had failed.

“Help the commission with information on corruption, give us tips, make use of the whistle blowing policy to stem corruption within EFCC. I will not spare any of my staff linked with corruption allegation, no matter how. Even if it is allegation against me, send it and it will be sent to the appropriate quarters for investigation,” he declared.

Magu, who said the war against corruption was getting hotter, admonished journalists not to drop their guard. He noted that the recent attacks on the facilities of the commission pointed to the danger in the fight against corruption.

He pointed to the efforts to create a new law for the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU) by the Senate as another way of corruption fighting back, noting that all the Senate needed to do was to amend two sections of the Act which established the EFCC and to come up with a different law, which to him was not necessary.

“Some people are bent on diminishing the achievements recorded by the commission. They are not considering overall national interest. The Edmond Group is not asking for a separate law to make NFIU an autonomous body. There are 156 countries that make up the group; I think only four of their Financial Intelligence Units are not domiciled in anti graft agencies,” he stated.

Magu dismissed insinuation that the commission under him was at war with the office of the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF), instead, he said there was a cordial working relationship between him and the AGF.

He added that it would be wrong to think that the fight against corruption would be smooth. He said he was not surprised with the resistance and opposition expressed in various guises.

“From what we read in the papers these days, it is either somebody is fighting Magu or Magu is fighting other people. I know that journalists want to sell their newspapers, but seriously speaking, instead of fighting one another, we should be united in fighting the common enemy, which is corruption.