Osinbajo’s N4bn: Again, Magu slams Malami, hints why AGF targets VP

The suspended EFCC chairman Ibrahim Magu has been making clarifications, denials, and throwing artful jabs since he was freed from the police cage Wednesday after 10 days in detention.

While he was locked away and dragged daily to the presidential panel probing corruption allegations against him, Magu was unable to defend himself as he was just being investigated blind.

His lawyers made vain efforts to get the Justice Ayo Salami panel to present Magu a copy of the allegations which Aso Rock sources describe  as weighty.

The petitioner, AGF/Justice Minister Malami, would not deem that appropriate either—to provide a copy of the allegations so the suspect would know the grounds for the probe.

But in the course of his detention, Magu found himself mired in a bog of claims in the media, especially the News Agency of Nigeria which kept quoting sources within the investigative panel.

According to the media reports, Magu gave V.P Yemi Osinbajo N4bn, and Lagos lawyer Femi Falana, N28m, and a church general overseer bought a property in Dubai on his behalf, among other misappropriations.

NAN categorically stated Magu’s connection not only with the lawyer, but with a bureau de change operator in Kaduna who helped the anti-graft fighter launder money.

But since Magu found his voice, he has consistently described the AGF allegations as ‘nonsense’ and ‘falsehoods’–both in the media and in a letter his lawyers wrote on his behalf to the panel.

“Our client strongly denies this falsehood against the respected Vice President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. Our client has never given the sum of N4 billion or any sum at all to Prof. Yemi Osinbajo SAN, GCON, Vice President of Federal Republic of Nigeria as wrongly reported,” the letter stated in part.

According to him, all the claims, Malami’s and all, are targeted at Osinbajo for a reason.

“This allegation is complete falsehood designed to tarnish the hard-earned reputation of the Vice President,” he said.

He also spoke on the claim involving Falana.

“Our client never gave N28 million or any amount to Mr. Femi Falana SAN as maliciously reported. Our client also denies any link with a Kaduna-based Bureau De Change Operator as alleged.

Malami, who has been the hand in the glove in all this, and has periodically been updating the media on the presidential orders to suspend Magu and the commission’s directors, has yet to sort out his own allegations amidst the barrage swirling around Magu.