Lamorde out, Magu In

President Muhammadu Buhari has approved the appointment of Mr. Ibrahim Mustafa Magu, an Assistant Commissioner of Police, and the Deputy  Director of Internal Affairs of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) as acting chairman of the commission.

He takes over  from Mr. Ibrahim Lamorde who is proceeding on terminal leave ahead of the formal expiration of his tenure in February next year, according to a statement released monday by the Special Adviser (Media and Publicity) to the President, Femi Adesina.

Magu, whom Police sources described as "a fearless investigator who can stand up to any duty," is a graduate of Accountancy from the University of Maiduguri and a certified accountant.

"He has the capacity for this assignment. He is prudent and he likes to work conclusively on investigations. He is coming with a huge experience in investigation of financial crimes. He is an assistant commissioner of police, a Kanuri from Borno state of the North-east," said a source who worked with him at the Police Special Fraud Unit, Abuja.

He served as head of the Economic Governance Unit (EGU) of the EFCC during the tenure of Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, as chairman of the commission. Magu was said to have made several enemies because of his fearless attitude to official work.

An informed source in the anti-graft agency also described Magu as the brain behind high profile investigations of indicted former Nigerian governors, and was one of the early recruits into the EFCC by Mr. Ribadu. He is seen by many of his colleagues as an ‘’incorruptible and courageous’’ officer.

As head of the EGU, sources said some of the investigations Magu spearheaded included the collapse of Societe Generale Bank of Nigeria, and Chief James Ibori, former governor of Delta State.

He is a trained financial crimes investigator with background in forensic accounting, and training at the FBI institute and the London Metropolitan Police institute. He had also served, prior to his EFCC posting, in Bosnia under the United Nations peacekeeping police operation.

Magu is also a member of the investigative committee convened by National Security Adviser (NSA), Babagana Monguno, on the orders of President Muhammadu Buhari to probe the procurement of arms in the Armed Forces from 2007 till now.

He was arrested on August 4, 2008 following allegations that police discovered EFCC files and a computer containing classified documents at his Abuja residence by the former chairman of EFCC, Farida Waziri. She was perceived to have been uncomfortable with his presence in the EFCC  and doubted his loyalty.

The new acting chairman was subsequently re-deployed to the police after days of detention with nothing incriminating found against him. He was said to have later been suspended from the police, going without salaries for months. Following his appointment in 2011, Lamorde returned Magu to the EFCC.

Though Adesina's two-paragraph statement which announced Lamorde's exit from EFCC said he would be proceeding on terminal leave ahead of the formal expiration of his tenure in February next year, there had been allegations of corruption leveled against him, which had attracted the attention of the Senate.

A Presidency source revealed last night that "Lamorde had tried to defend himself against the allegation of corrupt practices levelled against him, it is obvious that the perception that Lamorde is corrupt is affecting the anti-corruption crusade of Mr. President. He just has to go.

“The next thing now is for President Muhammadu Buhari to look for a competent and credible person that can drive the commission in line with the anti-corruption crusade of Mr. President."

Also monday, the Senate postponed indefinetely the probe of Lamorde by the Senate Committee on Ethics, Privileges and Public Petitions scheduled to continue tuesday.

One Dr. George Uboh had petitioned the Senate alleging that Lamorde had diverted the sum of N1 trillion, which he claimed the former EFCC boss recovered from the late former Bayelsa Governor, Mr Diepreye Alamieyeseigha, and other politicians.

Consequently, the Senate had mandated its Committee on Ethics, Privileges and Public Petitions, headed by Sen. Peter Nwaoboshi, to investigate the allegations and had summoned him to appear before the Senate committee twice but Lamorde had refused to honour the invitations.

The Clerk to the committee, Mr. Freedom Osolo, did not give reasons for the postponement.

"I regret to inform you that the hearing of the Senate Committee on Ethics, Privileges and Public Petitions slated for Tuesday, 10th November, 2015, has been postponed for the time being, You will be duly informed when the meeting is rescheduled, please’’, the statement from Osolo office added.

Lamorde was said to have gone about his normal duties monday without any hint of his removal. It was gathered that he was at the Presidential Villa at about 12pm, after which he returned to his office.

Investigation also revealed that Larmode visited the office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) between 4pm and 4:30pm, where he would have gotten the news of his removal, but did not disclose it to even his personal aides.

He headed straight to his residence and instructed his protocol and other aides to stand down without breaking the news of his removal to them.