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Investigations have revealed how the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU) office was broken into on Thursday midnight by unknown persons allegedly working for the suspended acting chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Ibrahim Magu.
At least seven computers containing sensitive financial information were taken away from the NFIU and others badly damaged.
According to reports, the incident happened after the Justice Ayo Salami-led presidential investigative panel probing Magu requested for the transaction history of a Kaduna-based bureau de change (BDC) operator who was said to be a close ally of Magu. The BDC operator was said to have made a recent transaction of over N500 billion in different currencies; N336 billion, $435 million and 14 million Euros.
Meanwhile, Magu again appeared before the panel on Friday from 10:30 to about 7pm, when they closed for the day.
Upon the discovery of the burglary incident in the NFIU and links to Magu, the panel was said to have taken a break to brief the Chief of Staff to the President, Professor Ibrahim Gambari.
The suspended EFCC boss is expected to provide answers about his links with the Bureau de Change and the huge amount of money in its possession, a Lagos-based lawyer who was also said to have collected the sum of N28 million from the Kaduna-based Bureau de Change.
He is also to to explain his relationship with a relatively unknown Lagos-based pastor found with N573 million in his account.
The pastor is believed to be a close associate of the former EFCC boss.
A trusted source with knowledge of the investigation said: “From the issues before the committee, there are two big issues concerning Bureau de Change being allegedly linked to Magu in Kaduna; that Bureau De Change has been discovered by the NFIU to have transacted business in the region of N336 billion, $435 million and about 14 million Euros.
“There is one other allegation against Magu that there is a little-known pastor in Lagos associated with him that was discovered to have N573 million in his account.
“And again, there is also a famous lawyer in Lagos, he has taken N28 million from the Bureau de Change.”
The panel has been sitting for over three weeks scrutizing the corruption allegation from the Attorney General of the Federation Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami against the embattled ex-EFCC boss.
President Muhammadu Buhari on Friday finally approved Magu’s suspension from office.
Recall that the NFIU which used to be an integral part of the EFCC was severed from the commission following the suspension of Nigeria by the Egmont Group in 2017.