Facts have emerged to how some yet-to-be identified persons allegedly raided the new office of the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit, NFIU, and destroyed documents and computers containing sensitive information to allegedly cover up financial transaction linked to suspended acting chairman of the EFCC, Ibrahim Magu.
The presidential panel headed by a retired appeal court judge, Ayo Salami had on Thursday quizzed some personnel of NFIU who had earlier investigated Magu’s connecting with a Kaduna-based bureau de change, BDC.
Reports say Magu was expected to respond to the investigative report of the NFIU when news filtered in the next day that the NFIU office had been burgled and computers and documents reportedly relevant to the investigation destroyed.
It was however learnt that the burglers, apparently in haste went into the wrong office as almost all relevant documents and evidence needed in the Magu’s investigation from the NFIU office were still intact.
Giving a graphic details of the incident, a source said, “Some officials of the NFIU were said to have been invited to the Justice Ayo Salami panel, investigating Magu, on Thursday, to clarify certain grey areas, especially as relating to some accounts suspected to have been used to move money.
“The NFIU officials told the panel that by their operational protocols and procedure, they didn’t go about with such documents. They advised members of the panel to visit their office on Friday morning to sight the documents requested.
“But before the panel members got to the NFIU office on Friday morning, some unknown people had broken into the office, went to the room where the documents were stored in the computers, and destroyed them all.
“From the issues before the committee, there are two big issues concerning bureau de change being allegedly linked to Magu in Kaduna and that BDC has been discovered by the NFIU to have transacted business in the region of N336 billion, $435 million and about 14 million Euros.
“There was another allegation against Magu that a relatively unknown pastor in Lagos, who was linked with Magu was discovered to have N573 million in his account. Also, there was a famous lawyer in Lagos, who took N28 million from the BDC.
According to reports, the investigative panel was determined to do a thorough job and would look into all the books of the EFCC, NFIU and investigate all Magu associates to establish the truth.
Sources that part of the investigation method was to placed Magu’s associates on watch-list.
“Nothing is going to stop us. We’re going to the EFCC headquarters to look into their books. We are also investigating those very close to him. Evidence are coming in from people who have been duped. A lot of people are ready and volunteering information; real, responsible people, not hustlers. People they have swindled,” the source said.
BIGPEN reports today, Saturday makes it six days since Magu was first arrested on Monday June 6 following a petition against him by the Attorney-General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami.
