Where is Mr. Azu Ishiekwene for goodness sake? Has he not heard that Magu is being grilled? Ishiekwene was not alone in the rabid support for past and present EFCC chairman –whether right or wrong, though he was the champion of the lot. He even wrote a syrupy book on Ribadu. Simeon Kolawole and Olusegun Adeniyi have been his able assistants. Mr. Adeniyi took this belief to such a level that he even flagellated the late President Umar Yar’Adua, a man who in all innocence appointed him to be his spokesman while he was president. In his book, Power, Politics And Death, he accused Ribadu of frustrating the fight against corruption by attempting to shield his friends.
That the man was dead at the time and in no position to defend himself was immaterial to Mr. Adeniyi my friend, who sincerely, has always related to me with respect. If the reader thinks I’m exaggerating, he should please read Obasanjo’s book, My Watch and see how Obasanjo mocked him for traducing Yar’Adua. And if I’m proved wrong, I promise to write an open apology to Adeniyi. Adeniyi castigated Yar’Adua for removing Ribadu as EFCC Chairman accusing him of doing that just to shield his friends such as Chief James Onanafe Ibori from being tried.
I challenge Mr. Adeniyi to read Nasir el-Rufai’s book, The Accidental Public Servant, page 358 and tell me if he will not find this there: “When Yar’ Adua broke the news (that Obasanjo had asked him to contest the presidential election as his chosen candidate) Nuhu’s response could hardly have been less gracious: ‘Well, Obasanjo has not told me, and as far as the presidency is concerned, I have my candidate for President, and that is Nasir el’ Rufai”’.
El’Rufai continued: “Nuhu’s instinctive reaction was like that of a typical Policeman – dust off the EFCC files …and launched investigations” on diversion of LGA funds, and even arrested some LGA chairmen. El-Rufai to Ribadu: “Nuhu, what are you doing?” Ribadu: “Yallabai, we can still change this. No, we can’t allow Obasanjo to do this.” El-Rufai now hit the mark: “It is just being selfish. You want me to be president because I am your friend, not because you think I am different or better than Yar’Adua. Anything you do hence forth, will just will just confirm what people say about you – that you target people that threaten certain interests”. And when Yar’Adua, who had seen Ribadu’s heart and soul wanted him out of EFCC Chairman’s office, Adeniyi insulted Yar’Adua by charging the dead man with the grievous crime of shielding corrupt people. Obasanjo has celebrated the fact that Adeniyi has apologised for writing falsehood against him (I read this in Obasanjo’s book) but when and how will he apologise to the late Yar’Adua?
Back to Ishiekwene, campaigning for Magu’s Senate confirmation. He wrote November last year: “It was framed as a question roughly one year ago. In a piece entitled, “Is Magu Still Nigeria’s Most Dangerous Man?” I wondered why in a country with a shortage of heroes, a public servant would be rewarded with suspense and anxiety for giving of his best to his country. ALSO READ
“Magu is not going anywhere. They have thrown the kitchen sink at him and some more, but I’m sure he knows by now that it comes with the territory. In three years of doing one of Nigeria’s most difficult jobs, Magu has stepped on so many toes that finding a crime to hang him didn’t need a Lavrenti Beria, the head of Stalin’s KGB famous for saying, “show me the man and I’ll find the crime.”
“Magu has shown from his devotion and courage that he is a clear and present danger to a number of ambitious politicians and their friends used to easy passes. That’s why they want to stop him.”
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Ah, Ishiekwene my dear friend, do we need to search for those who want to stop Magu? President Buhari is not only on that list but even his spokesmen have said that investigating Magu shows Buhari is fighting corruption. Yes, the clock ticked to January 30, 2020 and EFCC arraigned you. I have written before, and I repeat it here, I pray you are innocent so that you would appreciate the damage EFCC was used to many people. Anyone that complained received the mantra: “there is no smoke without fire.”
And there is this report: “On November 8, 2018, one Mr Olalekan Abdul honoured an invitation to EFCC office in Ikoyi, Lagos, and was accompanied by Mr. Azubuike Ishiekwene, a veteran journalist.
But against their expectations, the two men were detained and only released late that night on a bail bond of N20bn each. As first instalment,the EFCC investigators in Lagos asked Abdul and Ishiekwene to pay $20,000 on November 9 – the next day after their arrest. And when Magu knew of it, nothing happened to the bribe-taker. Please, is that true?
Independent
