HURIWA seeks investigation of employment scam in EFCC 

Opposes Magu’s confirmation by Senate 

The Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) has urged the National Assembly to probe the recent recruitment exercise conducted by the Acting Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Mr. Ibrahim Magu.

The group led by Emmanuel Onwubiko, alleged that Northerners dominated by over 75 percent in the recruitment exercise.

Speaking in Abuja, the group also carpeted the Federal Character Commission (FCC) for its gross incompetence and collusion, which allowed for such flagrant breaches of the constitutional stipulation by a Federal agency such as the EFCC.

Lamenting that the Federal Character Commission had similarly remained dormant and compromised whilst President Muhammadu Buhari failed to carry the South East along in the appointment of top level defence and security positions.

Besides, HURIWA said other agencies such as the Nigerian Customs Service headed by a retired military Colonel had recently made lopsided promotions of the top cadres, which unconstitutionally excluded the South East.

Speaking specifically on the emerging recruitment scandal in the EFCC, the body charged the National Assembly to jettison the confirmation process of the Acting Chairman of the EFCC Mr. Ibrahim Magu, saying there are illegalities inherent in the recruitment exercise and other abuses of the human rights of suspects detained in the facilities run by the anti-graft body.

HURIWA stated: “We call on the relevant committees of the National Assembly and indeed the hierarchies of the two chambers of the National Assembly to investigate the allegations published by an Abuja based national daily which discovered that apart from the fact that 75 per cent of the shortlisted candidates are from the North, several of such candidates bore the same family names.

This is an unmitigated scandal of monumental proportions, which must not be swept under the carpets. This unpardonable impunity must be investigated and the top management of this agency sanctioned appropriately because what has been done is extensively damaging and indeed goes to uproot the foundational integrity of that agency of law enforcement. ”