NFIU office located in Aso Rock, burgled as N510bn is traced to Bureau de change linking Ibrahim Magu – computers taken away

The offices of the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU) were vandalised on Thursday night after the presidential panel probing Ibrahim Magu requested for the transaction history of a Kaduna-based bureau de change (BDC).

The Cable Newspaper reports that the panel was told that the BDC, which allegedly has links to the suspended acting chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), has recently transacted businesses worth over N500 billion in different currencies — N336 billion, $435 million and €14 million.

However, there was a twist in the tale when the panel asked that the transaction history of the BDC be made available by NFIU, the central national agency that handles disclosures and intelligence in the financial sector.

But the Sun Newspaper reports that the attack believed to have happened overnight was discovered Friday morning at the No 12 Ibrahim Taiwo Street, Aso Villa office of the NFIU.

The Nigeria Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU), a body responsible for housing sensitive information about financial transactions in the country has been burgled and at least seven computers containing vital data were removed and taken away.

An official of the agency who confirmed the development however, assured that the data on the stolen computers could still be retrived from hard disks. He also stated that other computers left behind by the burglars were damaged with a view to destroying the information on them. It was also gathered that the burglars numbering about six were however captured on CCTV camera in the office.

It was also learnt that mobile policemen on duty in the office were arrested yesterday for interrogation. Some NFIU officials had on Thursday appeared before the Justice Salami panel investigating Magu to testify. Some of the panel members were however scheduled to visit the NFIU office on Friday morning but before they arrived the office was burgled overnight and sensitive data on movement of funds carted away.

Magu had been suspended by Abubakar Malami, the attorney-general of the federation, since Monday with the tacit approval of Buhari but it was not officially announced.

There is an unresolved controversy on the extent of the supervisory powers of the AGF over the EFCC — which is one of the grievances Malami listed in his memo to the president — but Buhari’s approval has finally sealed Magu’s fate.

The panel, led by Ayo Salami, former president of the court of appeal, was also told that an unknown Lagos-based pastor who is very close to Magu has N573 million in his bank account.