Yari threatens showdown with EFCC, says ‘enough is enough

Zamfara state governor, Abdulaziz Yari, has accused
Ibrahim Magu, acting chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes
Commission (EFCC), of intimidating governors “for no just
cause”.
Yari, while speaking with journalists in Abuja on Thursday, said he
intends to report Magu to the federal government.

The chairman of Nigeria governors forum accused the commission
of not “tidying its work” before going to court and that “all it
wants is for Nigerians to know it has invited a governor or that
one former governor is arrested”.

Yari denied an EFCC allegation that parts of the Paris Club loan
refund were diverted from the NGF’s account on his instruction.

The anti-graft agency had also alleged that N500m from the fund
was diverted to offset Yari’s personal loan obtained from the First
Generation Mortgage Bank Limited.

But Yari said it is all lies.

“I am going to write to the federal government that enough is
enough; that either the EFCC should do its work or we should ‘do
showdown’ with them (EFCC) because nobody became governor to be
intimidated, to be harassed, to be abused by a DCP, he said.

“You can’t fight corruption that way and forever, they (EFCC)
will not achieve anything.

“In the case of my humble self, I have no idea why the EFCC is
actually interested in the issue of the London Paris Club refund.
It has been on this since inception up till now. It has been
repeating, contradicting so many things especially about
personalities.

“So, if there is anything wrong there, it should approach the
person whom it suspects did something wrong, and not to be making
noise about it. I challenge the chairman of EFCC to open up and say
if he has ever come to me and interviewed me about what
happened.

“We didn’t commit any fraud. I am not a signatory to that
account but I am the head. So, it is what governors agree that I,
as chairman, append my signature on. So now, they are saying $86m
fraud, N19bn fraud, $3m hotel; which one do we believe?” he
asked.

Zamfara state governor, Abdulaziz Yari, has accused
Ibrahim Magu, acting chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes
Commission (EFCC), of intimidating governors “for no just
cause”.
Yari, while speaking with journalists in Abuja on Thursday, said he
intends to report Magu to the federal government.

The chairman of Nigeria governors forum accused the commission
of not “tidying its work” before going to court and that “all it
wants is for Nigerians to know it has invited a governor or that
one former governor is arrested”.

Yari denied an EFCC allegation that parts of the Paris Club loan
refund were diverted from the NGF’s account on his instruction.

The anti-graft agency had also alleged that N500m from the fund
was diverted to offset Yari’s personal loan obtained from the First
Generation Mortgage Bank Limited.

But Yari said it is all lies.

“I am going to write to the federal government that enough is
enough; that either the EFCC should do its work or we should ‘do
showdown’ with them (EFCC) because nobody became governor to be
intimidated, to be harassed, to be abused by a DCP, he said.

“You can’t fight corruption that way and forever, they (EFCC)
will not achieve anything.

“In the case of my humble self, I have no idea why the EFCC is
actually interested in the issue of the London Paris Club refund.
It has been on this since inception up till now. It has been
repeating, contradicting so many things especially about
personalities.

“So, if there is anything wrong there, it should approach the
person whom it suspects did something wrong, and not to be making
noise about it. I challenge the chairman of EFCC to open up and say
if he has ever come to me and interviewed me about what
happened.

“We didn’t commit any fraud. I am not a signatory to that
account but I am the head. So, it is what governors agree that I,
as chairman, append my signature on. So now, they are saying $86m
fraud, N19bn fraud, $3m hotel; which one do we believe?” he
asked.