The Civil Society group, Coalition in Defence of Nigerian Democracy and Constitution (CDNDC) has claimed that a former senator whom it said owns a betting firm in Nigeria is using the antigraft agency to persecute rival betting firms.

The group, in a statement to newsmen, said the resent needless and frequent invitations to many rival betting site operators by the anti-graft agency is at the behest of the said ex-senator whom it said wants to monopolise the betting sector in Nigeria.

According to the group, the recent travails of the former Acting Chairman of the EFCC can be linked to the former senator’s machinations.

It called on the current leadership of the EFCC not to be embroiled in what it described as a one-man’s selfish tendency to monopolise the betting sector through the use of anti-graft agency to persecute rival firms.

According to the group,” On Wednesday, Nigeria’s Presidency confirmed that embattled Acting Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) Ibrahim Magu had been suspended pending the conclusion of an investigation being carried out by a Presidential Panel.

Magu’s tenure has been clouded with controversy almost since he assumed office. In 2016, the 8th Senate led by Bukola Saraki refused to confirm his nomination as substantive chairman of the anti-graft agency following a damning report against him by the DSS.

He was again rejected by the Senate in 2017 after Senator Dino Melaye read out a portion of the DSS report, which stated: ‘In the light of the foregoing, Magu has failed the integrity test and will eventually constitute a liability to the anti-corruption stand of the current government.’ Despite the rejection by the Senate and the report from the DSS, he was retained in acting capacity.

His recent travails are not far from equally robbing off from him being used by some politicians to persecute those perceived as rivals.

One of such cases is linked to a former Senator. It is being said in Nigeria’s sports betting industry that the recent shakedowns and “investigations” into the activities of sports betting companies by the EFCC is at the behest of the former senator who intends to force a monopoly in the industry.

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The Senator had in December 2019, written a petition to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), accusing a rival sports betting firm of tax fraud.

He had explained that his action was purely for the interest of Nigerians and vowed to “fight to the finish”, but industry stakeholders and practitioners insist that the move is simply to force the rival betting firm out of the Ghana-based betting games that are the subject of a N500bn lawsuit between both companies and is being resolved by the Nigerian House of Representatives.

Since the petition was written, we gather from industry sources that the EFCC has continuously invited the rival sports betting operators for needless questioning.

Our source at one of the Lagos-based sports betting operators said: ‘many of us have had to “settle” so as to keep our doors open and not have to lay off staff during the COVID-19 related economic turmoil.’

The EFCC is of recent in the habit of inviting sports betting operators to its Lagos and Abuja offices in the name of investigating the claims put forward by the former senator in his petition.

‘We are at the mercy of the ex-senator and from EFCC’ says another industry stakeholder who declined to be mentioned as the matter between the sports firm owned by the former senator and other sports betting operators is still being resolved by a House of Representatives committee.

The allegations that operators are shortchanging Nigerians is one of the most ridiculous heard in years but the socio-economic impact of the operations of sports betting companies especially in the areas of job creation and grassroots sports development cannot be overemphasized.

In January, CDNDC had cautioned the EFCC on turning itself into a ready tool in the hands of “wheeler-dealers”.

VANGUARD