FORMER Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, a senior advocate, has protested his detention by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), describing it as illegal, politically motivated, and driven by personal vendetta, while demanding that the EFCC chairman, Ola Olukoyede, recuse himself from investigating him.
In a statement on Monday, December 15, by his media aide, Mohammed Bello Doka, Malami described the EFCC’s actions against him as a “politically motivated witch-hunt,” which he said was triggered by his recent defection to the African Democratic Congress (ADC).
Malami alleged that the investigation and his continued detention were not driven by genuine law enforcement concerns but by “deep-seated historical animosity” involving the EFCC chairman.
He recalled that while he served as attorney-general, the Federal Government set up the Justice Ayo Salami Judicial Commission of Inquiry to probe allegations of corruption and abuse of office within the EFCC, during which the current EFCC chairman served as secretary.
According to Malami, the Salami report contained findings implicating the EFCC chairman, including recommendations that could have led to his prosecution.
He argued that the ongoing investigation against him “bears all the hallmarks of retaliatory persecution” motivated by personal revenge.
Malami said he had been pre-judged and could not receive a fair and impartial investigation under the current leadership of the anti-graft agency.
He therefore demanded that the EFCC chairman immediately withdraw from the case and that the matter be transferred to another appropriate law enforcement body to safeguard credibility and public confidence.
“Malami reiterates his insistence on immediate prosecution or release, demanding that a charge be filed and that he be arraigned before a court of competent jurisdiction within 24 hours, in strict compliance with Sections 35(3), (4), and (5) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (1999, as amended).
Malami also accused the EFCC of attempting to rely on individuals allegedly convicted by foreign courts and serving criminal sentences abroad as witnesses against him.
He described the move as an abuse of process and warned that it undermined the integrity of Nigeria’s criminal justice system.
The ICIR reports that Malami’s latest demands came amid his continued detention by the EFCC following his alleged failure to meet bail conditions imposed by the anti-graft agency.
The commission had earlier said the former attorney-general was granted administrative bail after a brief interrogation on November 28, 2025, pending the conclusion of investigations and possible arraignment in court.
According to the EFCC, the bail was provisional and subject to five conditions, none of which Malami allegedly fulfilled.
EFCC reacts
Earlier, the EFCC had dismissed claims that it is being weaponised against opposition politicians, insisting that its mandate is strictly to investigate and prosecute economic and financial crimes, regardless of political affiliation.
In a statement on Monday, the commission said allegations of persecution, politicisation, or erosion of its independence by political actors were deliberate misrepresentations of its constitutional responsibilities.
The commission argued that its operations were guided solely by its Establishment Act, which mandates it to investigate and prosecute all economic and financial crimes, except where suspects enjoy constitutional immunity.
The anti-graft agency said its record over the past two years showed that suspects from both the ruling party and opposition parties, including former governors and ministers, have been investigated and prosecuted, stressing that corruption “has no gender, religion, tribe, or political party.
Mustapha Usman is an investigative journalist with the International Centre for Investigative Reporting. You can easily reach him via: musman@icirnigeria.com. He tweets @UsmanMustapha_M