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Nigeria’s Attorney-General, Malami, Using Wokoma To Witch-hunt Me Over Refusal To Testify Against Magu At Panel, Says Lawyer

The AGF requested that Wokoma have me to do a petition against Ibrahim Magu to the Justice Ayo Salami panel, accusing him of graft and having me to testify against the EFCC boss

An Abuja-based lawyer, Victor Giwa, has accused Nigeria’s Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, of conspiring with one Donald Wokoma, a former Special Adviser to Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo, to witch-hunt him over his refusal to testify against the suspended Acting Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.

Giwa was last Wednesday arrested while testifying before the retired Justice Ayo Salami-led Presidential Panel inside Aso Villa in the ongoing probe of Magu.

He was arrested alongside another lawyer, Fatima Hassan.

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The duo were on Thursday granted bail from EFCC custody after they were asked to produce a level 12 officer of the federal service as surety.

In a statement on Sunday, Giwa alleged that both Malami and Wokoma had made a desperate move to lure him to nail the suspended Acting EFCC Chairman.

“On the 18th and 19th August, 2020, I was invited by the Justice Ayo Salami panel sitting in Aso Villa to testify against Ibrahim Magu through a conspiracy between the AGF, Malami (SAN), and Donald Wokoma, sacked Special Adviser to the Vice President, Prof Yemi Osinbajo,  whom I have represented and secured a judgment in his favour. Donald Wokoma was investigated for fleecing the sum of N250m from the amnesty programme through his company, Damaijay Integrated Services, by receiving contracts he never executed. His account was restricted by the EFCC.

“On the 11th July, 2020 Donald Wokoma was scheduled to be arraigned before His Lordship Hon Justice Akanbi at FCT High Court, Lugbe. Wokoma was absent and I represented him and the case was adjourned to 10th October, 2020 for arraignment. Wokoma in a desperate move to subvert the administration of justice, to quash or suspend his trial, conspired with persons in the AGF office who had promised to frustrate the trial and release the restricted account.

“To achieve this aim, the AGF requested that Wokoma have me to do a petition against Ibrahim Magu to the Justice Ayo Salami panel, accusing him of graft and having me to testify against the EFCC boss, an offer I declined. Wokoma in cahoots with the AGF, procured a lawyer who did the petition, which was forwarded by the AGF to the panel.

“Surprisingly, Donald in a twist of event tagged me as a ‘Magu boy’ an imaginary and infamous phrase designed to undermine the sterling achievement of Ibrahim Magu and demanded that I testify to the demand of graft by said Magu boys. It was my refusal and my stand to defend the truth and not to consent to the subversion of Justice that the AGF ordered my arrest and that of Fatima Hassan, a lawyer, whose testimony absolves myself and Ibrahim Magu from any wrongdoing.

“It was the fiasco at the panel that led to the avalanche of attacks including the order of arrest and petition by AGF and Wokoma respectively against me. I shall stand and defend justice no matter what happens,” he said.

Topics
Corruption CRIME