Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Ibrahim Magu has explained why former president Goodluck Jonathan has not been arrested over $2.1 billion arms deal.
The fund, which was managed by the office of former national security adviser, Sambo Dasuki, has led to the questioning, arrest and detention of many prominent Nigerians. However, some people are still wondering why the ex-president, who is believed to be the principal actor in the unfolding scenario, has not been arrested or summoned for questioning.
The Eagle Online reports that Magu gave the explanation on Monday, January 11, while speaking at a gathering of online news publishers under the aegis of the Guild of Corporate Online Publishers in Lagos.
The EFCC boss said that no document has been traced to Jonathan giving any approval for the disbursement of the money for any other purpose than arms purchase.
He further noted that all those questioned so far in connection with the money were people who disbursed or collected it for reasons other than the purchase of arms and ammunition.
“All approvals by former president Jonathan did not mention that it was for political purposes.
All the memos approved by him was for the purchase of arms,” he said.
Magu said that Jafar Isa who was arrested for receiving N170 million from Dasuki has already refunded N100 million and signed an undertaking to refund the balance. However, he added that despite the refund, Isa would still be prosecuted.
Speaking about Olisa Metuh, the EFCC boss revealed that the national publicity secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) said he would rather go on hunger strike than refund the N400 million he allegedly collected from Dasuki.
Maga also said that Patrick Akpobolokemi, a former boss of Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency, was recently re-arrested after new evidences of alleged embezzlement of N34.5 billion and another N600 million were linked to him.
The EFCC chairman stressed that the war against graft was not selective and assured Nigerians that his agency was not teleguided in the ongoing anti-corruption fight.
