The vice president, Yemi Osinbajo has refuted allegations that the suspended acting chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Ibrahim Magu gave him a part of the “missing N39 billion” from the funds recovered from alleged looters.
Speaking through his media aide, Laolu Akande, Osinbajo said he will not be distracted by “campaigns of lies and calumny.”
There have been several media allegations that Magu released N4 billion to the vice president when the later functioned as the acting president while his boss, Muhammadu Buhari was on a medical vacation overseas.
Akande in a statement on Wednesday described the reports linking his principal to Magu as idle tales fabricated to hurt the public image of the vice president.
“With all emphasis at our disposal, let it be firmly stated that these are totally false and baseless fabrications purporting to reflect goings-on at the Probe Panel investigating Mr. Ibrahim Magu. They are indeed completely absurd in every respect,” the statement read.
“Sadly, such mindless, vicious and reckless publications have now become the preferred tool of unscrupulous and reprobate elements in our society who are procured with monetary inducement to peddle blatant falsehood, tarnish the image of upright public officials and mislead unsuspecting Nigerians.
“Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, SAN, will of course not be distracted by these obvious campaigns of lies and calumny. The online publications, being criminally defamatory in nature, have been referred to the relevant law enforcement agencies for investigation and necessary action.”
A new EFCC boss, Mohammed Umar has since taken over in acting capacity. Magu has been grilled by the Justice Ayo Salami presidential panel in the last three days and his Abuja homes ransacked by police detectives who reportedly took away some documents to assist the investigators looking into his reign at the anti graft agency.
The eight senate with Abubakar Bukola as Senate President refused President Muhammadu Buhari’s request to confirm Magu as the substantive chair of the commission on two occasions, citing unfavorable reports from the Department of State Security which indicted the nominee in multiple acts of corruption.
