Former Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, SAN, has formally called for the immediate recusal of the Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) from an investigation involving him, citing alleged bias, personal animosity and political persecution.
Malami made the demand in a statement issued on Monday by his spokesman, Muhammad Doka, where he accused the anti-graft agency of acting outside the bounds of professionalism following his recent defection to the African Democratic Congress (ADC).
According to the former justice minister, the investigation has been tainted by what he described as illegal detention, media harassment and procedural abuse, stressing that the actions of the EFCC are driven by personal vendetta rather than genuine law enforcement objectives.
“I have been clearly prejudged and cannot receive a fair, objective or lawful investigation under the current leadership of the EFCC,” he stated.
Malami traced the roots of his concerns to events during his tenure as Attorney-General, when the Federal Government established the Justice Ayo Salami Judicial Commission of Inquiry to probe allegations of corruption and abuse of office within the EFCC.
He noted that the current EFCC Chairman, Ola Olukoyede, served as Secretary to the commission and that the Salami Report—now publicly available—contained adverse findings against him. In Malami’s view, this history casts a long shadow over the ongoing probe.
“The present investigation bears all the hallmarks of retaliatory persecution motivated by personal vengeance,” he said.
On this basis, Malami urged the EFCC Chairman to step aside from the matter and appealed to the Attorney-General of the Federation, as the nation’s Chief Law Officer, to intervene in the interest of justice and institutional integrity.
“To restore credibility and public confidence, another appropriate law enforcement agency must handle this matter,” he said, warning that failure to do so could result in “serious institutional damage.”
The former AGF further demanded that he be either charged to court or released within 24 hours, invoking Sections 35(3), (4) and (5) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended).
He maintained that only a court of competent jurisdiction—not an agency compromised by political considerations—could lawfully and credibly determine the matter.
Malami also raised alarm over what he described as the EFCC’s attempt to rely on individuals convicted by foreign courts and currently serving criminal sentences abroad as potential witnesses.
He condemned the move as “desperate, scandalous and corrosive to the integrity of Nigeria’s criminal justice system,” arguing that such individuals should ordinarily be subjects of extradition proceedings, not prosecution witnesses.
The statement disclosed that Malami’s legal team has already taken steps to protect his rights, including formally requesting Certified True Copies of the petitions that triggered the investigation, as well as the EFCC’s investigation report, to enable him adequately prepare his defence.
“Let it be stated clearly: 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 tools of political intimidation. The law must remain supreme—above politics, above power and above persons.”
