The acting chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Ibrahim Magu, yesterday, told a Lagos State High Court sitting in Ikeja that no house was traced to his wife by the Department of State Services (DSS) Maitama, Abuja.
The EFCC boss, who was testifying in a libel suit he filed against The Sun Newspaper, over a series of publications which he described as libellous said he and his wife only have one house in Karo, Abuja.
In the alleged libellous publications titled, “Magu Under Fresh Probe”, the newspaper had claimed that two houses located in Maitama, Abuja were traced to Magu’s wife and that he was under discreet investigation by the DSS.
The EFCC chairman is urging the court, presided over by Justice Doris Okuwobi, to award him the sum of N5 billion as damages.
He is also demanding that the Sun Newspapers should publish an apology and retract the alleged libellous publications.
At yesterday’s proceedings, Magu said the entire publication was false.
He claimed, “Since I came to the EFCC, nobody has investigated me. I am not under any probe, the publication is totally false. Even if I have the money, I wouldn’t buy houses in Maitama.
“My wife is a civil servant. We only have one house sold to us in Karo, Abuja. The publication is completely untrue.
“I want to tell you the damage it has done to me. It was not a damage done to me alone, it has gone down my lineage, the entire family, and it has done so much wrong. It has done so much damage.
“They said the houses are located in the Darrubbe and Missouri, Maitama and that they belong to my wife.
“My wife Fatima Yakaka Magu is a civil servant and cannot afford to buy houses in Maitama. I am an international man and the publication has damaged my reputation. The name Magu does not only end with me. The publication caused a whole lot of trauma for my lineage.”
“They did not confirm the authenticity of the story, the publication about the properties did not give an address that indicates that it is a hatched work.
“After the first publication, there were a lot of reactions so they went to my hometown to interview everybody that knows me just to do justice to the first publication,” he stated.
Magu, under cross-examination by the respondent’s counsel, Charles Enwelunta, affirmed that the said two properties were allegedly traced to his wife who he noted was not a party in the suit before the court.
When asked what arm of government was supposed to confirm him as the chairman of the EFCC and how many times has he been rejected by the arm, Magu said the Senate was saddled with the responsibility of confirming him and that he had been rejected twice by the Senate.
He added that he was not worried that he was not confirmed as the chairman of the anti-graft agency.
He said, “It does not worry me that I’m not confirmed, I’m not bothered. It’s good that they did not confirm me, I may not be able to work very well.”
Justice Okuwobi adjourned the suit to February 28, 2019, for further hearing.
