A former Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, SAN, has demanded the immediate recusal of the Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) from his ongoing investigation, alleging bias, personal vendetta and political persecution linked to his recent defection to the African Democratic Congress (ADC).
In a strongly worded press statement issued on Monday by his media aide, Muhammad Doka, Malami accused the EFCC of what he described as illegal detention, media harassment and procedural abuse, insisting that the probe was not driven by genuine law-enforcement considerations but by personal and political motives.
“I have been clearly pre-judged and cannot receive a fair, objective or lawful investigation under the current leadership of the EFCC,” Malami said in the statement.
The former justice minister traced the alleged animosity to events during his tenure as Attorney-General, when the Federal Government constituted the Justice Ayo Salami Judicial Commission of Inquiry to investigate allegations of corruption and abuse of office within the EFCC. Malami noted that the current EFCC Chairman served as Secretary to the commission and that the commission’s report, now in the public domain, contained adverse findings against him.
According to Malami, the current investigation “bears all the hallmarks of retaliatory persecution motivated by personal vengeance,” a development he said undermines the credibility and integrity of the anti-graft process.
On this basis, Malami formally called on the EFCC Chairman to step aside from the matter and urged the Attorney-General of the Federation, as the Chief Law Officer of the Federation, to intervene. He argued that to restore public confidence, the investigation should be transferred to another appropriate law-enforcement agency, warning that failure to act could result in serious institutional damage.
Malami also demanded either his immediate arraignment or release within 24 hours, citing Sections 35(3), (4) and (5) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), which guarantee personal liberty. He maintained that only a court of competent jurisdiction could lawfully determine the matter.
Raising further concerns, the former AGF accused the EFCC of seeking to rely on individuals convicted by foreign courts and currently serving criminal sentences abroad as potential witnesses. He described such an approach as “desperate and corrosive to the integrity of Nigeria’s criminal justice system,” arguing that such persons should ordinarily be subjects of extradition rather than prosecution witnesses.
The statement further disclosed that Malami’s legal team has initiated formal steps to protect his rights, including requests for Certified True Copies of the petitions that allegedly triggered the investigation and the EFCC’s investigation report to enable him adequately prepare his defence.
“I seek no political settlement or inducement,” Malami said. “My singular objective is to clear my name openly and transparently before a court of competent jurisdiction. Nigeria must not become a republic where anti-corruption agencies are instruments of political intimidation. The law must remain supreme—above politics, above power and above persons.”
