Lawyer accuses EFCC official of extortion, as commission denies claims

Constitutional lawyer, Mike Ozekhome (SAN) has written to the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami (SAN) to investigate an EFCC official over alleged extortion.

Ozekhome had accused the official, Abubakar Aliyu Madaki, a retired Superintendent of Police and the Head of Economic Governance Unit of the EFCC of masterminded the search of Mr Zari’s house and his arrest in 2016.

In the letter dated June 1, 2018 and brought by the lawyer on behalf of a businessman, Alhaji Abdulhamid Mahmud Zari, Ozekhome also wants the Inspector General of Police, Ibrahim Idris to prosecute the said official for abuse of office, demand of N4m bribe and acquisition of property worth billions.

Zari is the Managing Director of G-Complex Nigeria Ltd, a company which is embarking on a project in Gunduma village, Karu Local Government Area of Nasarawa State, which is also the hometown of Madaki.

However, the EFCC in a statement denied the allegation against its official as falsehood intended to intimidate him and the commission’s chairman, Ibrahim Magu.

The commission stated that the official was not even on the team that are conducting the investigation against the businessman.

“If Zari is persuaded that he paid bribes to secure bail from the EFCC, he is obliged to take the additional step of stating the time, place and circumstances in which the money was collected from him and by who, together with witnesses to the transaction,” the statement reads.