EFCC secures 137 convictions, recovers N419 billion, others in seven months

*Commission invites senator over alleged bribery allegation against IGP

• Group seeks sack of IGP over corruption charges

Acting Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Ibrahim

Magu, yesterday disclosed that the commission recovered N419 billion and secured 137 convictions between January and August 2017.

Speaking at an interactive forum with journalists in Abuja, Magu said other cash haul within the period include £230,000.00, €610,000.00, $69.5million, 432,000.00 Dinars and 70,500 Saudi Riyad.

He appealed to the media not to relent in their support for the anti-corruption war, insisting that the corruption fight requires a concerted effort to succeed.

Magu also noted that it would be naive for anyone to expect that the fight against corruption will be smooth even as he called for unity among stakeholders to expose corrupt persons and all proceeds of corruption.

While expressing gratitude to the media for supporting the anti-graft crusade, Magu said: “The fight against corruption is getting tougher as corruption is continuously fighting back.

Magu also vowed to bring any EFCC operatives indicted for corruption to book and disclosed that nine cadet officers of the commission were recently discharged because they had issues with their certificates.

He promised to protect all whistle-blowers who provide information to the commission and maintained that it was declaring a total war against corruption.

Meanwhile, the Police Service Commission (PSC) has invited Chairman, Senate Committee on Navy, Isah Hamman Misau, to appear before its special panel investigating allegation of corruption in the Force on Wednesday, September 6, 2017.

A statement signed late Wednesday in Abuja by Head, Press and Public Relations, Ikechukwu Ani, said the Commission in a letter signed by the Chairman of the Special Panel, Justice O. Adekeye, a retired Justice of the Supreme Court, has invited Misau to appear before PSC panel.

“The Police Service Commission, the only organ saddled with the statutory responsibility of issuing letters of retirement to all police officers except the IGP has a vital role to play in determining the authenticity of this letter.”

“Senator Misau is invited to appear before the panel with the original copy of his letter of retirement for authentication,” the statement said.

In another development, the Progressive Mind for Development (PMDI), a civil society organisation, yesterday asked President Muhammadu Buhari to sack the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Ibrahim Idris, over the recent corruption charges levelled against him by Misau.

The group said this would restore Nigerians’ hope in his anti-corruption war. President of the group, Abubakar Abdulsalam, in statement issued in Yola, Adamawa State, said that the anti-corruption war would be a shadow fight if the president fails to act decisively on the allegations against the IGP.