A Lagos-based legal practitioner, Chuks Nnalugha, has said that Federal Government should be cautious with the way it is handling the allegations against the suspended Acting Chairman of Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Ibrahim Magu.

Nnalugha, who is the legal adviser to Anambra State Indigenes Lawyers Forum (ASILF) and also a professional fellow of Council of Institute of Corporate Administration of Nigeria, said that in spite of all the allegations, Nigerians should not write off Magu as a non-achiever because the number of cases that EFCC has prosecuted and the number of convictions it has obtained under Magu, it is far higher than what the Ministry of Justice has achieved within the same given period.

He said that the news of EFCC recoveries have been around for quite some time, adding that the anti-graft body must have been lodging the recoveries in some known accounts.

According to him, if the whole picture is taken into consideration, it could show that Magu was not exactly acting alone, adding that EFCC is not the only agency of government that is stinking with corruption.

However, he said that the noise is just because the anti-graft agency is where a lot of Nigerians had expected some level of sanity

Nnalugha said in an interview: “It is very unfortunate that the suspended anti-corruption boss is now entangled in corruption. This is a case whereby one will say that the hunter has become the hunted. But I would not want to join issues with those who are shouting crucify him, crucify him. My reason is because if you check the number of cases that has been prosecuted by EFCC and the number of convictions obtained, it is far more than that of Ministry of Justice.

“What we are been told up till few days ago is that EFCC has done well with regard to recovery of stolen loots and it is the same news that we are hearing that the Federal Government is also hearing. Government has not for one day come out to refute any of this.

“There is no doubt that the recovered monies are being paid into government accounts. The question now is, where is the money? Who does EFCC account to? If proper investigation is done, we may find out that this may not be only EFCC affair. So, let those investigating beam their search lights on other persons and agencies that may have acted in concert to the alleged fraud.

“Could one now say that Magu could be a victim of power play? Certainly not. The point is that he could not have committed the magnitude of crime as being alleged alone. The properties in question were not bought in one day. The loots were also not recovered in one day. It therefore, means that somebody somewhere was either conniving or is not doing his work and that is why the fraud got to this level.”

When asked what he thought should be the way out, Nnalugha suggested that the way out is to reorganise EFCC. He noted that although the anti-graft agency was born out of the failure and lack of trust of Nigerians on the Nigeria Police with regard to the fight against corruption, yet today, over 85 percent of the members of staff of EFCC are policemen, “the same people that cannot manage their own fraud unit.”

He called on the National Assembly to look at the issue of separating the EFCC, ICPC and the other anti-corruption agencies from the Ministry of Justice adding that the reason is because the Attorney General of the Federation is a political appointee and for the country to get the best from our anti–corruption agencies, they have to be independent and whoever to be their head appointed by the National Judicial Council. Again, let the office of the Attorney General of the Federation be separated from the ministry of justice.”

On the 2021 Anambra State governorship election of which zoning has become the contentious issue, Nnalugha said that he does not believe in zoning where the next governor of the state would come from.

According to him, zoning does not bring out the most competent person.

His words: “When they talk about zoning in a small state like Anambra, they are missing the point. What we need is somebody who can perform. What we need is somebody who would bring happiness to the people, irrespective of the zone he comes from.

“If we go back to history, when Dr Chris Ngige was elected governor, he brought governance to the grass root by upgrading the rural roads and bettering the life of the people. Those who brought him did not bring him because he came from Anambra Central but because they believe that he had the capacity to perform. People also voted for Peter Obi based on personal credentials as a successful business man and not because of the zone he hailed from and he did not disappoint.”

On the COVID-19 Pandemic, Nnalugha said that going by the surge in infection in Nigeria, it has become crystal clear that government is not on top of the situation.

According to him, government has not laid the basic foundation that would have helped to guard against the spread of the virus.

He said that the money that Nigerians have been told have been spent in the fight against the pandemic is more than the annual budget of some countries, but rather than the rate of infection coming down, it is climbing in leaps and bounds.

He said: “I think that government should have equipped most of the community health centres with the basic things they need to prevent the spread of the virus. Going by the state of our roads, you don’t expect somebody who is sick in Badagry to drive from there to the isolation centre in Lagos. It is clear that before he gets to Lagos, he must have infected a lot of people.

“So, there is need to upgrade all the community health centres and provide them with the basis for treatment. Majority of our population go to the community health centres and community clinics so government should think along this line and take action.”

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