The Senate has indicted the Acting Executive Chairman, Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Ibrahim Magu, and the commission for failing to obtain authorisation from the National Security Adviser, NSA, Major- General Babagana Monguno (retd) and President Muhammadu Buhari in the attempt to arrest former Director-General of the Department of State Services, DSS, Mr. Ita Ekpenyong, and his counterpart in NIA, Mr. Ayo Oke in Abuja.
It warned that henceforth, search and arrest operation that may be conducted on these agencies must first have presidential approval as it must also be done in a discreet manner rather than in full public glare.
The Senate adviced that in dealing with sister agencies that are clandestine in nature, the EFCC must conduct its activities with minimum publicity in order to retain the integrity of the institutions, even as it said that public altercations as witnessed between these agencies must not be allowed to repeat itself.
It would be recalled that there was alleged security threat November 21, 2017, following the face- off among the EFCC, DSS and the National Intelligence Agency (NIA) over attempt by the EFCC to arrest former Director- General of the Department of State Services, DSS, Mr. Ita Ekpenyong, and his counterpart in NIA, Mr. Ayo Oke, in Abuja.
The report said, however, that though the EFCC acted within the ambit of the law by obtaining all the relevant search warrants from the court of law in a bid to arrest these officers, it ” failed to obtain authorisation from the NSA or the President in accordance with section 4 of National Security Agency Act, Cap 74 LFN 2004, before obtaining the search warrant.”
The Senate urged President Muhammadu Buhari, as the Commander-in-Chief, to as a matter of urgency, investigate the matter to ensure that agency rivalry or public exhibition of envy was nipped in the bud and avoided at all cost.