Very few may have heard of Ibrahim Magu, the Acting Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) before his appointment. But is the tough reputation of the anti-graft chief enough to clean the corruption in government? The EFCC boss explained some of his strategies to Assistant Editor, Seun Akioye
Ibrahim Magu, the acting chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) walked into the conference hall of Vintage Press Limited, publishers of The Nation newspapers without much frill or thrill; and if one had not known him, one would have a hard time pointing him out in the crowd.
Until now, the man who now heads one of the most important agencies critical to the corruption war of President Muhammadu Buhari was unknown to many Nigerians and his name certainly didn’t ring a bell. In November 2015 when he was announced as the acting chairman of the EFCC, making him the fourth chief executive of the agency, many Nigerians were left aghast.
Information about Magu was so scarce and only a picture of him wearing a dark safari suit, sitting on a black chair behind a computer and looking into the roof existed online. If President Buhari was serious about fighting corruption beyond his ‘body language’, he would need a vibrant and fearless EFCC and the man at the helms must be fearless and passionate. But who is this Magu?
Those who knew him described him as a no-nonsense police officer and foundation staff of the EFCC, who alongside the flamboyant and loquacious Nuhu Ribadu, fought corruption to a standstill during the formative years of the commission.
Magu it was, who as the head of the Economic and Governance section of the Operations Department, investigated and tried some of the difficult cases involving politically exposed persons. His works, it will be fair to say, contributed in no small measure to the respect and prestige the EFCC garnered in those years. Of course Magu remained anonymous, at least to the vast majority of Nigerians.
About three months after his appointment, Magu already has some high profile cases under his belt, with a promise of more convictions against corrupt politically exposed persons. This has also pitched him against some section of the political class, who accuse him of a “sectarian” corruption fight and turning the EFCC into the attack dog of the ruling party, the All Progressive Congress (APC).
Spotting a blue suit, white shirt and a blue tie with yellow stars, Magu cuts the picture of a serious-minded officer who is passionate about his job. One cannot describe him as flamboyant, but neither is he tasteless. He walked with measured and somewhat hurried steps and appeared like a man ready to settle down to business without the painful constraints of courtesies.
Magu spoke in measured tone but with undisguised firmness. He is of sparse frame with tough looks; even when he smiles; it was not for long before reverting to his usual serious mien. He appears as one pained to the marrow by the magnitude of the corruption embedded in the country’s governance structure. He described corruption in the strongest terms he could summon: “deliberate and calculated wickedness against the nation”. He is particularly irked that certain persons have stolen the “commonwealth” of Nigerians for themselves.
“The impunity is too much,” he said with an air of someone in possession of a great secret. “Sometimes I shed tears in the morning before I go to the office, it is just unbelievable, the rot is terrible. What I am saying is that people who know they have stolen our commonwealth should bring it back.”
Then he stopped. For about 20 seconds, he stared ahead of him, the object of his attention not exactly clear to those seated around, but he seemed to be considering whether to divulge a huge secret or that maybe he was just bogged down by the sheer volume of the impunity and corruption he has had to face in the last three months. When he spoke again, his voice was firm and clear.
“People arrogate things to themselves; they have taken our money and are bold enough to say they are not going to return it. The money belongs to the people; they should return the money quietly. Let there be voluntary compliance. Let them voluntarily come out to say this is what I have stolen and the government will take it. I think that is the best thing to do,” he said.
A curious observation of Magu would reveal a man on a mission, he looked determined and focused, he does not pretend to be a wordsmith like Ribadu or have the calm and aristocratic look and bearing of a Lamorde; he is just Magu, a man determined to rid his nation of corruption.
“The fight against corruption is about Nigerians not an individual,” he answered those who had accused him of selective prosecution. For some weeks, Magu and his team had embarked on sensitisation visits to stakeholders, whom he said “include all Nigerians,” to draw support for his work.
“From the media, we have to go to the grassroots. We will take it to children in the schools; we have to tell the children that corruption is bad; tell them why there is no chair in the classroom. We will sensitize everybody to the evil of corruption; we need to let people know that corruption is bad, because some people don’t seem to know,” Magu said.
Sometimes, one gets the feeling of an ‘impatient Magu,’ who just wants to get the work done. A chip off the old block of crime busters, his face seems to have a certain degree of seriousness, especially when he speaks about certain people taking money “which belongs to 170 million people,” insisting that they bring the loots back.
When not speaking, he would nod his head, not vigorously but firmly enough to convey his strong approval of the subject matter, while at the same time tapping his feet and sometimes wriggling his palms together. To some, it conveys impatience; to others, it is a sign of confidence, which comes from skill and dedication.
Magu is not called a ‘General’ by his associates at the EFCC for nothing. Like a real life ”General,’ he has fought many battles as a police officer; and during his first mission at the EFCC, he acquired such a fearsome reputation among corrupt government officials, that it wasn’t long before corruption began to fight (him) back. In 2008, a tsunami that swept through the commission bumped him out back to the regular police beat. That was not all; he was briefly arrested and his Abuja residence was combed by security operatives on suspicion of holding some sensitive documents belonging to the commission.
“I have bitter experiences more than anybody; I am here today by divine intervention,” Magu said in a veiled reference to that experience. But with the anti-corruption czar back in town, a message has been sent to those who had their hands soiled in the cookie jar: More looters will go to jail.
“From all indications, the judges are more serious, everybody is cooperating and this year, we will see more politically exposed persons convicted. We will flush out corrupt people,” he said.
Also the international community is cooperating and soon “there will be no hiding place for looters.”
But Magu is also searching for support. “We need more of your support,” he told the media executives. He spoke as a man in simple pursuit of truth, who has nothing to hide and is unafraid of opening the books. “Nobody has the monopoly of knowledge; we are open to ideas and criticisms, constructive and otherwise. Sometimes, you need people from outside to watch over you because people inside may not be telling you the truth,” he said.
Will Magu succeed? People say government lacked the will to fight corruption and the various anti-corruption agencies are mere sitting ducks; but Magu appears to have both guts and grit to finish the job. His ‘body language’ and sparse speech conveyed one message to treasury looters: Be very afraid!
