By Soni Daniel
Abuja – As media reports continue to suggest real and impending face-off between the agency and the Attorney General of the Federation, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has denied any rift between the two, blaming corrupt officials of trying to stoke imaginary conflict.

Malami and Magu

It will be recalled that many reports have suggested that the EFCC is opposed to the request by the Attorney General, Abubakar Malami, to forward all the case files of top corrupt politicians in its custody to him for prosecution with immediate effect.

But the EFCC is said to favour the initiation of fresh charges against the suspected corrupt officials, if he has strong evidence against them.

The AGF is said to be angry that the EFCC is by refusing to release the files of corrupt politicians to his office, directly blocking the prosecution of the politicians, most of who left office over 12 years ago.

But the Spokesman for the EFCC, Mr. Wilson Uwujaren, said in a statement made available to Vanguard on Thursday that the two government agencies had been working harmoniously in accordance with the relevant laws governing them.

Wilson said, “The attention of the EFCC has been drawn to the near-daily reportage of either the existence of a face-off or an impending and damaging conflict between the Commission and the office of the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami (SAN).

“Notwithstanding the fact that EFCC has been consistent in its position that there is absolutely no conflict (actual or impending) with the AGF, some unscrupulous persons have continued to push the false narrative into media headlines.

“For the avoidance of any doubt, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, wishes to categorically state that it is compliant with all provisions of law and has no intention to stoke a misunderstanding over requests from the office of the Attorney-General and Minister of Justice.

“Furthermore, the Commission’s mandate, operational philosophy and the conduct and pronouncements of its officials do not countenance any activity on the fringes of the law. It is therefore untenable for there to be any suggestion that the EFCC or the Commission’s principal officials are either in conflict with or readying for a “showdown” with the AGF or other officials of government.

“Any such “conflicts” being paraded in the media exist only in the apparently fertile imaginations of corrupt elements angling to knock heads together in furtherance of their own pro-corruption agenda. All the brouhaha raised in recent days over a non-existent conflict between the EFCC and the office of the AGF only go to underline the fact that corruption can and is fighting back in a variety of ways.

“The Commission wishes to underscore that the EFCC is a creation of statute and its operations and officials being as they are, guided by the firm, unambiguous provisions of those laws and regulations, are not and can never be in contravention of the law or opposition to constituted authority,” Wilson explained.