ABRACADABRA: President Buhari Finally Signs Bill Giving NFIU Autonomy From MAGU’s EFCC

👤 Danjuma Aliyu, DENISAURUS News

President Muhammadu Buhari has at long last signed a bill passed by lawmakers in March 2018, which gives the the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit, NFIU independence from the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC.

According to Ita Enang, the “NFIU will now be domiciled in the Central Bank of Nigeria.”

Senator Enang, the Senior Special Assistant to President Buhari on issues pertaining to the National Assembly, who spoke to State House correspondents on Wednesday noted that the NFIU will now operate as an autonomous and Independent body.

The President of the Senate, Bukola Saraki, said the NFIU Act “will help to further institutionalize our fight against corruption by promoting the exchange of information between Nigeria and other countries on issues that relate to criminal intelligence and financial investigations.”

The President signed the Bill a year after DENISAURUS News reported exclusively Nigeria’s suspension from a world renowned financial group.

Mr Magu denied the report written by Adenike Lucas, the editor of this paper. He claimed that “nothing was disconnected” and Miss Lucas was being sponsored by “corrupt elite in Nigeria.”

The suspension from the Egmont Group, a united body of 152 Financial Intelligence Units (FIUs), was a consequence of Ibrahim Mustafa Magu – the acting chairman of the EFCC, leaking confidential documents to media allies.

Despite, the server based in Toronto Canada, being crucial in the fight against corruption, the group reportedly decided to disable Nigeria’s access to its server, because Mr Magu was using the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit, NFIU, to provide false evidence.

At the time, insiders at the EFCC said that the anti-graft boss, who was described as “perennial offender” by the Department of State Security Service, DSS, was also “exposing privileged information to those who should not be allowed access.”

READ ALSO : Magu Is Still Lying About The NFIU (COMMENTARY)

Politicians have always said that Mr Magu was using the EFCC as a political tool against opposition.

This paper gathered that the “corrupt” officer does so through the NFIU, where he gets confidential information which he divulges to media allies such as Sahara Reporters.

Speaking to DENISAURUS News, a senior investigator welcomed the signing of the bill, but noted that the President delay in signing it.

This paper was told that President Buhari has only decided to sign the NFIU bill now, because he is trying to hobnob with the NASS Senate, in order to appease them and show that he is on their side.

The President saw that the Code of Conduct Tribunal, CCT had cleared the Senate President, he thought that the NASS Senate would get undue support, hence his plan to sign the bill and attract some of that support to himself.

Following the acquittal of Senator Saraki, the President issued a statement praising the decision of the Judiciary.

“In the case of the Senate President, Bukola Saraki, I have seen him take the tortuous path of using the judicial process. He persevered, and in the end, the highest court of the land, the Supreme Court, says he is not guilty as charged.”

However, DENISAURUS News has just gathered that the President is unhappy with EFCC’s Magu, because the plan to nail the Senate President failed.

The President, who plans on campaigning again based on his supposed integrity had hoped to be the first administration to jail a serving Senate President.