The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has given clarification on its invitation of operatives of sister agency, the Department of State Services, DSS.
EFCC explained that the invitation extended to DSS operatives was in connection with the ongoing arms deal probe and not aimed at revenge over the secret police’s indictment of Ibrahim Magu, its acting chairman.
The anti-graft agency said the operatives of the secret services have refused to honour its invitation.
DSS had last year indicted Magu of corruption in its report to the senate, an action which made lawmakers to refuse confirming him as substantive Chairman.
However, EFCC spokesperson, Wilson Uwujaren, in a statement on Tuesday, said the summon of DSS operatives has nothing to do with the DSS report.
Uwujaren maintained that the commission is backed by law to invite operatives of any law enforcement agency “for questioning” in the course of its investigation.
The statement reads, “Part of that protocol (for the invitation) is to write to the heads of such agencies, requesting that the officer(s) in question be released to be interviewed.
“In the course of investigating the arms procurement scandal, the office of the commission has had cause to request the release of officers of other security agencies, including the Nigerian army, the Nigerian air force, the Nigerian navy and now the DSS, for questioning.
“All but the DSS have acceded to this request.
“The arms procurement investigation is a national issue in view point of the alleged culprits cutting across the military, security establishments as well as the political class. It is not targeted at any institution.
“Consequently, the insinuation about a revenge-instigated investigation of the DSS by the EFCC over its role in the senate refusal to confirm Ibrahim Magu as substantive chairman of the EFCC, is not only specious, but pure mischief contrived for motives that are unclear.”
Comments