By Ayomide Otitoju
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 an ongoing investigation involving him, citing alleged bias and political persecution.
In a statement issued on Monday by his spokesman, Muhammad Doka, Malami accused the anti-graft agency of acting out of personal vendetta linked to his recent defection to the African Democratic Congress (ADC). He alleged illegal detention, media harassment and procedural abuses, insisting the probe was not driven by law enforcement considerations.
“I have been clearly prejudged and cannot receive a fair, objective or lawful investigation under the current leadership of the EFCC,” Malami said.
The former minister traced his concerns to his tenure as Attorney-General, when the Federal Government set up the Justice Ayo Salami Judicial Commission of Inquiry to investigate allegations of corruption within the EFCC. He noted that the current EFCC Chairman, Ola Olukoyede, served as secretary to the commission and that the Salami Report, now public, contained adverse findings against him.
According to Malami, the present investigation “bears all the hallmarks of retaliatory persecution motivated by personal vengeance.”
He formally called on the EFCC Chairman to step aside from the matter and urged the Attorney-General of the Federation to intervene, arguing that another law enforcement agency should handle the investigation to restore public confidence.
Malami also demanded that he be either arraigned before a court or released within 24 hours, citing provisions of the 1999 Constitution (as amended). He stressed that only a court of competent jurisdiction could lawfully determine the case.
The former AGF further accused the EFCC of attempting to rely on individuals convicted by foreign courts and currently serving prison sentences abroad as potential witnesses, describing the move as “desperate” and damaging to the integrity of the justice system.
According to the statement, Malami’s legal team has begun formal steps to protect his rights, including requesting certified true copies of the petitions that led to the investigation and the EFCC’s investigation report.
“I seek no political settlement or inducement,” Malami said. “My sole objective is to clear my name openly and transparently before a court of competent jurisdiction. The law must remain supreme—above politics, power and persons.”
