Assistant Commissioner of Police, Ibrahim Magu, the successor announced by President Muhammadu Buhari for Ibrahim Lamorde at the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission was a pioneer staff of the agency under Nuhu Ribadu.
Both he and Lamorde worked together in the operations department with Lagos as the base.
But more than Lamorde, Magu has had a turbulent time at the agency and was the target of a state-sponsored persecution under Farida Waziri’s headship of the agency.
His most recent assignment was as member of the committee set up by the Buhari administration to probe the procurement of arms in the Armed Forces from 2007 to date.
Because of his perceived incorruptible posture, he was made the head of the sensitive Economic Governance Unit (EGU), which handles investigations of senior public officials.
As head of the EGU, some of the investigations he spearheaded included the alleged involvement of Senate President Bukola Saraki in the collapse of Societe Generale Bank of Nigeria; and James Ibori, former Governor of Delta State, who is serving jail term in United Kingdom for money laundering.
He also played a role in the investigation and eventual jailing of former managing director of the Bank of the North, Shettima Mohammed Bulama, said to be his own brother in law.
After Ribadu was removed in controversial circumstance by former President Umaru Musa Yar’adua, Magu was also targeted for redeployment.
Farida Waziri, who took over in 2008, was said to be uncomfortable with his presence over issues surrounding loyalty.
Magu’s troubles peaked when he was accused of illegally keeping case files of top politicians being investigated by the commission in August 2008.
His house in Abuja was searched and his property, including a laptop computer with sensitive files, was carted away by officials of the EFCC at the behest of Mrs. Waziri.
Redeployed to the police after days of detention with nothing incriminating found against him, Magu was later suspended from the force, without salaries for several months.
But Magu was brought back to EFCC by Lamorde after he was confirmed as substantive EFCC boss in 2012.
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