Former Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami (SAN), has asked the Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission to recuse himself from an ongoing investigation involving him, alleging that the probe is driven by personal animosity and political vendetta.
Malami made the demand in a statement issued on Monday by his Special Assistant on Media, Mohammed Bello Doka, in which he described the EFCC’s actions as a “witch-hunt” lacking fairness and objectivity.
According to the former minister, the investigation and his reported detention were politically motivated, allegedly linked to his recent defection to the African Democratic Congress.
He further alleged that the EFCC chairman harbours a longstanding grudge against him dating back to the Justice Ayo Salami Judicial Commission of Inquiry, which probed corruption allegations within the EFCC during Malami’s tenure as Attorney-General.
“The present investigation—marked by illegal detentions, media harassment and procedural abuses—bears all the hallmarks of retaliatory persecution motivated by personal vengeance,” the statement quoted Malami as saying.
He argued that under the current leadership, the EFCC could not guarantee an impartial or credible investigation into allegations against him.
Malami therefore formally requested that the EFCC chairman step aside from the matter and that the investigation be transferred to another government agency to safeguard impartiality, institutional credibility and public confidence.
He also called on the incumbent Attorney-General of the Federation to intervene, warning that the continued involvement of the EFCC chairman could further erode the integrity of Nigeria’s justice system and amount to an abuse of prosecutorial powers.
Insisting on judicial oversight, Malami urged the anti-graft agency to charge him before a competent court without delay, in line with Sections 35(3), (4) and (5) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended).
“Only a court of law, not a politically compromised agency, can lawfully determine the issues involved,” he said.
The former minister also accused the EFCC of planning to rely on “questionable witnesses,” including individuals convicted abroad, to build its case, describing such an approach as “desperate, scandalous and corrosive to the integrity of the criminal justice system.”
He disclosed that his legal team had formally requested certified copies of the petitions and investigation reports forming the basis of the EFCC’s actions, including those submitted by Human and Environmental Agenda and Grassroot Advocacy for Peace and Good Governance.
Malami maintained that his sole objective was to clear his name through transparent and lawful judicial processes, while cautioning against the politicisation of anti-corruption agencies.
“The law must remain supreme—above politics, above power and above persons,” he added.
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