A call has gone to the Justice Ayo Salami-led presidential panel probing the embattled and suspended acting Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Ibrahim Magu, to expand the terms of reference to the period that Mr. Nuhu Ribadu headed the anti-graft body.

The call was made by civil rights advocacy group, the Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA), which also asked the panel to publicly invite interested Nigerians who had had one bad experience or the other about their encounters with the EFCC to send in memoranda and petitions, adding that “the anti-graft commission stinks of professional misconduct and auditing corruptions which should necessitate a more elaborate investigations by the Justice Ayo Salami led Presidential Panel of inquiry on EFCC.”

In a statement by its National Coordinator, Comrade Emmanuel Onwubiko, and the National Media Affairs Director, Miss Zainab Yusuf, HURIWA said it has resolved to petition the Justice Salami panel to also look at the extensively damaging allegations made by Chief Emmanuel Nwude, convicted previously over advanced fee fraud by a Lagos High Court, that some of the properties not listed amongst his assets forfeited upon conviction were sold by the EFCC and even when he protested over the illegality, both himself and his lawyer were then roped in and charged for a nebulous offence allegedly by Magu which they (Emmanuel Nwude and his lawyer) eventually won at both the High Court and the Court of Appeal.

HURIWA said: “We are aware of a pending petition filed by Chief Nwude before the Nigerian Bar Association’s disciplinary Committee titled ‘Petition For Disciplinary Action Bordering On Fraud, Stealing, Fraudulent Sale Of Property, Initiating Fraudulent Judicial Proceedings And Stealing Over N5 billion,’ made against Mr. Ebun Sofunde (SAN), Mohammed Belgore (SAN), Rotimi Jacobs (SAN) and against Babajide Ogundipe and Nkadi Osakwe.”

HURIWA submitted that the weighty allegations made against the EFCC and some of their lawyers by the complainant, Chief Nwude, are such that should be captured under the terms of reference of the Justice Ayo Salami headed Presidential panel of investigations.

The rights group said it will also petition the President on the need to carry out a holistic forensic investigations of EFCC so the Aegean stable would be cleaned up thoroughly and for the anti-graft war to regain the needed credible momentum.

HURIWA is therefore challenging the Federal Government to look at all these petitions and deal with them on merit so the fight against corruption is not fought with corruption.

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