By Mustapha Usman
A department of State Security Service, SSS, memo addressed to the attorney general of the federation and minister of justice, Abubakar Malami, has further exposed links between the embattled acting chairman of the Economic and financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Ibrahim Magu, and a retired air commodore, Mohammed Umar.
Mr Magu was rejected twice by the Senate, following incriminating security report by the SSS.
On December 25, 2016, DAILY NIGERIAN report exposed the link between Messrs Magu and Umar, revealing how the Federal Capital Territory Authority, FCTA, paid the sum of N39,628,817.40 to a company linked to the latter.
In June, the SSS reportedly sought the endorsement of President Muhammadu Buhari to arrest Mr Umar, after receiving damning reports that he was involved in alleged money laundering, extortion and illegal possession of firearms.
Quoting credible security sources, DAILY NIGERIAN had reported previously reported that Mr Umar was actually the one who initially made the payment of the money for rent of Rudolf House in the highbrow Maitama district of the FCT, but when Mr. Magu realised that the SSS was poke-nosing into the matter, the FCTA was hurriedly involved to make a fresh payment and put the new documents into record.
Sources said an e-payment schedule issued to Valcour SA Nigerian Limited by Federal Capital Territory Administration, FCTA, published by some online newspapers was “merely a distraction” to prove the FCTA made the payment to a different entity.
But the latest memo appeared to have provided the AGF with document and further evidence on the report the DSS had earlier submitted to the Presidency on Magu.
Excerpts of the memo to the attorney general emailed to Newsdiaryonline chronicled how the SSS justified its position on what the service called Mr Magu’s “questionable credibility”.
The SSS also provided evidence of ‘shocking, sinister and unwholesome’ relationship between the duo.
Mr Buhari had directed the attorney general of the federation to investigate allegations against some of his top aides last year. The SSS memo was evidently part of the additional information.
When the Senate rejected Mr Magu for the first time, it hinged its position on the DSS report which had alleged some unwholesome conducts by the acting EFCC chairman.
The memo to AGF was signed by Folashade Bello, on behalf of the director-general of the service, Lawal Daura.
See the leaked memo below.
