Ibrahim Magu | |
---|---|
Former Acting chairman of Economic and Financial Crimes Commission | |
In office 9 November 2015 –7 July 2020 | |
Preceded by | Ibrahim Lamorde |
Succeeded by | Muhammed Umar |
Personal details | |
Born | Maiduguri,Borno State | 5 May 1962
Nationality | Nigerian |
Alma mater | Ahmadu Bello University |
Occupation | Police officer |
Ibrahim Magu (born 5 May 1962),is a Nigerian police officer who served as acting chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission,EFCC from 9 November 2015,until his suspension on 7 July 2020. [1] He was replaced by Muhammed Umar as the acting EFCC chairman. [2]
Magu was appointed as EFCC chairman after Ibrahim Lamorde,who had earlier served twice,was sacked by the President of Nigeria,Muhammadu Buhari. [3] [4] Both Lamorde and Magu served during Nuhu Ribadu’s time at the anti-graft agency and were also credited with part of the success Ribadu recorded in his time. [5]
Magu was born on May 5,1962 in Maiduguri,Borno State. He attended Maiduguri’s primary school (from 1969 to 1975),Waka Biu's Secondary School from 1975 to 1980,and Ahmadu Bello University,Zaria from 1982 to 1986,where he graduated with a B.Sc in Accounting. [6] After the completion of his National Youth Service Corps,he served in various Ministries and Departments in the Borno State Government as an accountant and rose to become a zonal accountant before he voluntarily resigned to join the Nigeria Police Force as an Assistant Superintendent of Police in 1990. He was the Coordinator for the Nigeria Police Building Society before moving on to the Special Fraud Unit (SFU) of the Nigeria Police Criminal Investigations Department (CID) where he served as a team leader in charge of Financial Crimes,Money Laundering and Advance Fee Fraud investigation. [7] [8]
He served as a member of the investigative committee convened by National Security Advisor (NSA),Babagana Monguno on the orders of President Muhammadu Buhari to probe the procurement of arms in the Armed Forces from 2007 to 2020. [9]
Magu remains unconfirmed as the Chairman of EFFC [10] which is one of the challenges and controversies being faced by the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari on appointments and nominations confirmation. [11] [12] [13] The Police Service Commission (PSC) on Friday,28 April 2018 announced the promotion of 18 senior officers after her 27th Plenary Meeting which ended in Abuja where Magu was promoted to the rank of a full commissioner from deputy commissioner. [14]
At the end of the 8th Regional Conference of Anti-Corruption Agencies in Commonwealth Africa held at Transcorp Hilton (Abuja,Nigeria) on 19 May 2018,Magu emerged as their new chairman. His appointment was the high point of a five-day regional conference with the theme:“Partnering Towards Assets Recovery and Return”. [15] [16] [17] [18] [19]
On May 29,2018,the EFCC announced that 603 Nigerian figures had been convicted on corruption charges since Buhari and Magu assumed their offices in 2015. [20] The EFCC also announced that for the first time in Nigeria's history,judges and military officials were prosecuted. [20]
On 6 July 2020,Magu was arrested for corruption charges related to finances he allegedly embezzled for,among other things,supporting his lavish living and traveling expenses. [21] Twenty-two corruption allegations were reported against Magu in June 2020 as well. [22] Following his arrest,Magu remained in custody. [21]
On 7 July 2020,Magu was suspended as the chairman of Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) because of corruption allegations leveled against him. [23] [24] [25]
The panel had specifically recommended that Magu should be removed “for failing to properly account for N431,000,000.00 security votes/information fund released to the office of the Executive Chairman of EFCC between November 2015 and May 2020”. The panel also recommended that Magu should be referred to the inspector-general of police for “necessary disciplinary action”.
That week,President Buhari convened an investigative panel led by Justice Ayo Salami. [26] In late November the panel presented its report (the "Salami Report") confidentially to President Buhari. [26] Two weeks later,President Buhari released the report which cleared Magu of the charges,and indicated that there had been a plot to discredit Magu in order to stop his anti-corruption activities. [27] It is suggested [27] [28] that Attorney General Abubakar Malami was involved with the plot,in part because of the animosity he showed towards Magu,and his direct action writing a letter to President Buhari on 5 June 2020 entitled "Flagrant abuse of public office and other infractions committed by Mr Ibrahim Magu,acting chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission". [22]
Magu was exonerated on 4 October 2022 over a false claim that Pastor Emmanuel Omale of the Divine Hand of God Prophetic Ministry and his wife,Deborah,had laundered 573 million naira for him. [29] Magu was quoted as saying “I am a victim of corruption fighting back,but I am happy that recent events are revealing the truth to Nigerians". [30]
On social media,however,there are possibilities to examine disagreements between various points of view. [31] According to a recent survey,numerous Twitter users have been drawing comparisons between Mr. Ibrahim Magu and Hushpuppi,a high-profile online fraudster. [32] Specifically,Nigerian Twitter users,both within and outside Nigeria,employ expressions like "Hush Ibrahim," "Hush Magu," and "Puppi Magu" to juxtapose Mr. Ibrahim Magu,accused of engaging in dishonest and corrupt behavior,with that of Hushpuppi,a popular online fraudster. [33] Through these linguistic juxtapositions,users directly highlight the similarities between Mr. Magu,a 'respectable' figure of authority in Nigerian society,and Nigerian cyber fraudsters,enabling a direct comparison of their actions. [34] [35]
The linguistic comparisons made on Twitter between "Mr. Ibrahim Magu" and "Hushpuppi" have a significant impact as they have real-life consequences. [36] Implicitly,when something previously morally reprehensible becomes a source of value,it is because of its impact on society. [37] The prevalent use of "advantageous comparison" as a preferred method of comparison by Twitter users reflects a tendency to downplay the financial activities of online fraudsters. [38] The research suggests that such linguistic manipulation,expressed as public opinion on Twitter,diminishes the suffering experienced by victims of online fraud. [39] Ultimately,the research concludes that the process of determining which behaviors are considered criminal versus others involves a moral dimension. [40] [41]
An advance-fee scam is a form of fraud and is one of the most common types of confidence tricks. The scam typically involves promising the victim a significant share of a large sum of money,in return for a small up-front payment,which the fraudster claims will be used to obtain the large sum. If a victim makes the payment,the fraudster either invents a series of further fees for the victim to pay or simply disappears.
Muhammadu Buhari is a Nigerian politician who served as the president of Nigeria from 2015 to 2023. A retired Nigerian army major general,he served as the country's military head of state from 31 December 1983 to 27 August 1985,after taking power from the Shehu Shagari civilian government in a military coup d'état. The term Buharism is used to describe the authoritarian policies of his military regime.
Orji Uzor Kalu is a Nigerian politician and businessman who is the senator representing Abia North Senatorial District. He served as governor of Abia State from 29 May 1999 to 29 May 2007. Kalu is the chairman of SLOK Holding and the Daily Sun and New Telegraph newspapers in Nigeria.
Abubakar Bukola SarakiMBBS is a Nigerian politician who served as the 13th president of the Nigerian Senate from 2015 to 2019. He previously served as the governor of Kwara State from 2003 to 2011;and was elected to the Senate in 2011,under the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP),representing the Kwara Central Senatorial District,and then re-elected in the 2015 general elections under the party of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Mohammed Rabi'u Musa Kwankwaso,FNSE FNIQS is a Nigerian politician who served as governor of Kano state from 1999 to 2003 and from 2011 to 2015. After he lost his re-election in 2003,he was appointed the first Minister of Defence of the Fourth Republic with no prior military background from 2003 to 2007,under the administration of President Olusegun Obasanjo. He was later elected to the Senate in 2015,serving one term under the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC) representing Kano Central Senatorial District.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) is a Nigerian law enforcement agency that investigates financial crimes such as advance fee fraud and money laundering. The EFCC was established in 2003,partially in response to pressure from the Financial Action Task Force on Money Laundering (FATF),which named Nigeria as one of 23 countries non-cooperative in the international community's efforts to fight money laundering. The agency has its head office in Abuja,Nigeria.
Corruption is an anti-social attitude awarding improper privileges contrary to legal and moral norms and impairs the authorities' capacity to secure the welfare of all citizens. Corruption in Nigeria is a constant phenomenon. In 2012,Nigeria was estimated to have lost over $400 billion to corruption since its independence.
Kayode Oladele is a Nigerian human rights activist,lawyer and politician who was a member of the Nigerian House of Representatives representing Yewa North/Imeko-Afon Federal Constituency,Ogun State,from 2015–2019. He was the Chairman of the House of Representatives' Committee on Financial Crimes and member of the House Committees on Justice,Human Rights,Rules and Business,Environment,Healthcare Services and Agricultural Institutions. He was elected under the platform of the All Progressives Congress on 11 April 2015. Prior to that,he was Chief of Staff,office of the Chairman,Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC),a law enforcement agency that investigates financial crimes.
Farida Mzamber Waziri is a Nigerian technocrat,law enforcement officer and former executive chairperson of the Nigerian Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) She succeeded Nuhu Ribadu in this post.
Alhaji Abdul'aziz Abubakar Yari is a Nigerian politician who was elected Governor of Zamfara State in the 26 April 2011 national election,running on the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) platform. Following the merger of the ANPP and several other opposition parties into the now-governing All Progressives Congress,Yari became a member of the All Progressives Congress.
Ibrahim Lamorde is a Nigerian police officer who was appointed Acting Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on 23 November 2011 after chairman Farida Waziri had been dismissed by President Goodluck Jonathan. He was confirmed as Chairman by the Senate on 15 February 2012.
Buhari's anti-corruption war is an anti-graft war declared by Muhammadu Buhari,the 6th democratic President of Nigeria. This is a war against all forms of corruption in Nigeria. During the president's election campaign in 2015,he vowed to fight against corruption and insecurity if elected. Since his election in April 2015,anti-graft war remain one of his topmost priority. The anti-graft war was endorsed by the President of the United States. The United States Secretary of State,John Kerry at the World Economic Forum held at Davos in Switzerland extolled Buhari's anti-graft war. In October 2015,the United Kingdom pledge her support for Buhari's anti-corruption war. According to Grant Shapps,the minister for international development,"UK is fully committed to helping Nigeria increase its security,stability and prosperity. "We would continue to provide capacity building,technical and investigative support to Nigeria to tackle corruption. Corruption in Nigeria also affects the UK directly. Where we have evidence,we will continue to take action to protect the integrity of the UK's financial system and prevent. Some Nigerian described the war as "perfect" while others described it as "selective". William Kumuyi,the founder and general overseer of Deeper Christian Life Ministry described Buhari's anti-corruption war as a step in right direction. However,the president has been criticized and accused of leading a selective war against corruption. Several people claimed that his war against corruption focus on members of the opposition party,the People's Democratic Party.
Abubakar MalamiSAN,is a Nigerian lawyer and politician who served as minister of Justice and Attorney General of the Federation from 2015 to 2023.
Muhammadu Buhari's tenure as the 15th president of Nigeria began with his first inauguration on 29 May 2015,and ended on 29 May 2023. A retired general and member of the All Progressives Congress from Katsina State,he previously served as military head-of-state from 31 December 1983 to 27 August 1985,when he was deposed in a military coup led by General Ibrahim Babangida. Buhari took office following a decisive victory over incumbent Peoples Democratic Party president Goodluck Jonathan in the 2015 presidential election. Four years later,in the 2019 presidential election,he defeated PDP candidate former vice president Atiku Abubakar to win re-election. Upon his inauguration,he became the oldest president in Nigerian history.
Whistle-blowing Policy in Nigeria is an anti-corruption programme that encourages people to voluntarily disclose information about fraud,bribery,looted government funds,financial misconduct,government assets and any other form of corruption or theft to the Nigeria's Federal Ministry of Finance. A whistle-blower who provides information about any financial mismanagement or tip about any stolen funds to the ministry's portal is rewarded or entitled to 2.5% - 5% percentage from the recovered funds by the Nigeria government. The policy was launched on December 21,2016 by Nigeria's Federal Government and facilitated through the Federal Ministry of Finance.
Mohammed Abubakar Adamu is a Nigerian retired police officer who is formerly the 20th Nigerian inspector-general of police. He was appointed by President Muhammadu Buhari on 15 January 2019 replacing Ibrahim Kpotun Idris (rtd) of Niger State. Mohammed Adamu hails from Lafia,in Nasarawa State. He was replaced on 6 April 2021 with Usman Alkali Baba.
Ramon Olorunwa Abbas,commonly known as Hushpuppi,Hush, or Ray Hushpuppi is a Nigerian Yoruba national former Instagram influencer and convicted felon. He was sentenced in the United States to 11 years for conspiracy to launder money obtained from business email compromise frauds and other scams,including schemes that defrauded a US law firm out of approximately $40 million,illegally transferred $14.7 million from a foreign financial institution,and targeted to steal $124 million from an English Premier League club.
Peoples Gazette is a Nigerian online newspaper based in Abuja. It launched in 2020. The online medium is notable for its investigative journalism,among other fields.
Abdulrasheed Bawa is a Nigerian detective and law enforcement agent who served as chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) from 24 February 2021 to 14 June 2023 when he was suspended on by President Bola Tinubu over allegations of corruption. He replaced Umar Mohammed Abba,the acting Chairman of the commission. Until his appointment,he was the Deputy Chief Superintendent of the anti-graft agency.
The 2003 Taraba State gubernatorial election occurred on April 19,2003. PDP candidate Jolly Nyame won the election,defeating ANPP Abubakar Saad and other 6 candidates.