Contrary to reports that the Department of State Services DSS arrested the Acting Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission EFCC, The DSS has said it has no knowledge of Magu’s arrest.
Magu is alleged to own
4 properties and sending money abroad through a third party.
A statement by the Department Spokesman Nnochironye Afunanya said that Magu was not in their custody.
A source said that Magu was arrested on Monday afternoon at the EFCC office in Wuse zone 2 and undergoing interrogation before a panel at the Presidential villa.
The DSS had in a report in 2016 accused Magu of living in a N40m mansion paid for by a Retired Airforce Officer, Air Commodore Umar Muhammed alleged to be involved in shady deals.
The Department said their findings revealed that the Acting Chairman regularly embarked on official and private trips through a private jet owned by Mohammad.
It said in one of those trips he flew into Maiduguri with Mohammed and a bank MD that the Commission was investigating.
Magu was appointed EFCC Acting Chairman on November 9,2015 by President Muhammadu Buhari after Ibrahim Lamorde who served twice at the commission was sacked.
Magu was twice nominated as substantive chairman for the financial commission and his nomination forwarded to the Senate for confirmation, twice senate under Saraki rejected him because of the DSS report on him.
It took activists lawyer Femi Falana to spot a lacuna in the constitution which said that Magu does not need Senate confirmation to be appointed , that President Buhari could keep him on acting capacity as there was no problem in doing so.
