Nigeria’s attorney-general and minister of justice Abubakar Malami said he did not get false witnesses to testify against the suspended chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) Ibrahim Magu.
Malami in a statement signed by his media aide Umar Jibrilu Gwandu said he “has not set up the investigation panel to probe Magu” and “is not saddled with any responsibility to procure witness(es) for the panel.
“The Honourable Attorney-General never met Giwa and has never discussed any issue with the so-called Donald Wokoma nor asked anybody, personally or by proxy, to engage the so-called Victor to testify against Magu.”
Magu is being investigated by the presidential panel over multiple allegations of fraud levelled against him.
He was arrested in July by a combined team of Department of State Services (DSS) personnel and policemen at the Wuse II office of the EFCC.
President Buhari has since appointed a deputy police commissioner Mohammed Umar as EFCC acting chairman after he suspended Magu.
Malami accused the suspended EFCC chairman of insubordination and using his office for gross misconduct.
While the presidential panel probed Magu, a lawyer Victor Giwa accused Malami of procuring witnesses to speak against the suspended EFCC chairman during the probe.
Giwa in a statement alleged that both Malami and Wokoma had made a desperate move to lure him to nail Magu.
Malami, however, described the statement as “a flimsy allegation” for allegedly refusing to testify against Ibrahim Magu.
“The claim by Victor Giwa Esq is therefore fictitious unfounded and figment of imagination of mischief makers who want to create unnecessary attention and tarnish the good image of the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice and labouring incessantly these days, to falsely cast aspersion on the AGF’s hard-earned reputation.”
Credit: The Guardian