Buhari Administration deceiving Nigerians over Magu’s investigation
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BUHARI ADMINISTRATION IS DECEIVING NIGERIANS OVER IBHRAHIM MAGU INVESTIGATIONS
By Johnson Greg.
Ibrahim Magu, the recently removed head of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has been accused in the press of many serious crimes. The crimes he is being accused of were either crimes contained in the respective petitions the Attorney General of the country and DSS wrote against Magu. So, those allegations are not new allegations. By now they should have charged Magu to court.
Why is it that the Buhari Administration has not charged Magu to court for him to be arraigned and tried the same way they charge and try people accused of crimes? Why did this Administration set up a special panel headed by a retired judge to probe Magu instead of charging him to court and prosecuting him according to law?
The purpose of this post is to highlight the anomaly that is occurring in the name of probing Magu. The Government is not interested in prosecuting Magu for the alleged offences. If they were interested in that, they would have charged him to court the way they charged other people to court. But what is going on right now is a political process conducted not by the courts, but in the old banquet hall in the presidency. It is not a judicial inquiry.
What is the purpose of the probe? Apparently, the Buhari Administration is trying to assess the extent of the damage and embarrassment Magu could cause them in a public trial in a court of law. They want to know the full list of politicians and government officials Magu can claim he gave money to. They want to ascertain the extent to which he might expose their underbelly (yansh) in any open court trial. And indeed, the probe is yielding results. Magu has been naming names. But he should be bold enough and tell them how much he gave APC for the 2019 elections which might have been why the President and Vice President insisted on Magu, in violation of the constitution.
This is what to expect: the purpose of this secret probe is to control the damage that Magu may cause the Presidency. Yes, it is a secret probe because the press are not allowed inside the venue where the panel is sitting. It is a secret chamber. And it is not a mere criminal investigation, otherwise a retired judge would not be heading it. Apparently, Magu was proving stubborn. The reason they arrested him in the street in broad daylight and risked a shootout between Magu’s men and the arresting officers was because Magu would not honor any invitation to the panel. So, Magu was ignoring them which meant that he might have some dangerous cards to play against his opponents. So, they had to block him with force and detain him until the panel has gained control over the situation, not over Magu. (They already have him under control; they just don’t have the situation under control).
Depending on how many people Magu is ready to implicate, the probe, which is already spreading information that Magu is asking for soft landing, will withdraw all the allegations bothering on embezzlement and money laundering and focus on only those bothering on insubordination. So, do not be surprised if tomorrow the only offences they will charge Magu with will be related to insubordination. The work of this mysterious and illegal probe is to sort that objective out.
One thing is clear. Nigerian government cannot be trusted. It is unwise to believe what the government tells you. You must focus on what the government officials do and you must wisely interpret their actions, not their words. Their words are there to mislead. The truth lies in your ability to to see their actions and interpret them correctly. If they want to try Magu for the alleged crimes, they will charge him to court and arraign him before a judge. Under Nigerian law, a person accused of committing a crime is not to be tried by a panel sitting in the president’s house, from which journalists are forbidden. To believe this process is to be fooled by manipulative government officials. Your first step to the truth is always to disbelieve what the government says.
….. WE BELIEVE IN EXPLANATORY JOURNALISM. WE EXPLAIN WHAT IS HAPPENING, NOT WHAT THE GOVERNMENT SAYS.
