The Minister of Justice and Attorney-General of the Federation, Mr. Abubakar Malami, SAN has asked President Muhammadu Buhari to pick a retired Deputy Inspector-General of Police, Mohammed Sani Usman, who the President had already vetted for the job as new Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, THEWILL can exclusively report.
Malami last week wrote the President recommending Ibrahim Magu’s immediate sack as head of the anti-graft agency over alleged multiple serious offences bordering on diversion of recovered assets, insubordination and misconduct.
In the memorandum, Mr. Malami also recommended two others — the FCT Commissioner of Police, Mr. Bala Ciroma, who had previously served as the EFCC Head of Operations, and a retired Assistant Inspector General of Police, AIG, from Kebbi State – as replacement for Mr. Magu, a senior official, who sought anonymity, told THEWILL.
THEWILL had previously reported exclusively on June 4, 2020, way before the AGF fired his memo, that Mr. Buhari had vetted retired DIG Usman and Ms. Diseye Nsirim-Poweigba, a retired police commissioner in Niger State, as replacement for Magu, who has been on the post in acting capacity since November 9, 2015, following the 8th Senate’s rejection of his nomination twice.
THEWILL’s source for that story, a top presidency official, said the President is no longer considering Diseye Nsirim-Poweigba for the post, insisting that Mr. Buhari has also foreclosed re-nominating Magu for the job.
Mr. Usman, a native of Bauchi State, represented the North East and held the position of DIG in charge of Training and Development before his forced retirement in 2019, following the appointment of then AIG Muhammed Abubakar Adamu, his junior, as Inspector-General of Police.
Mr. Ciroma is from Yobe State and has a Bachelor of Science Degree in Geography from the University of Maiduguri, Borno State. He has attended many local and international courses and is an alumnus of Hong Kong University where he earned a Post Graduate Certificate in Corruption Studies. He is also a member of Certified Fraud Examiner (CFE).
He was appointed FCT Police chief in 2018 and enrolled into the Police Force in March 1990 as a Cadet Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP).
Some of his police postings include: Deputy Commissioner of Police, Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department FCT Command; Deputy Commissioner of Police (Welfare) Finance and Administration Department Force Headquarters Abuja and Deputy Commissioner of Police Operations, FCT Command.
Mr. Ciroma was also at one time, Assistant Commissioner of Police IGP Monitoring Unit, Force Headquarters Abuja; Assistant Commissioner of Police, Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department Kano State Command; Assistant Commissioner of Police, Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department Niger State Command.
▪︎ Report by THEWILL