Former Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, has asked the chairman of Nigeria’s Economic and Financial Crimes Commission to step aside from overseeing the corruption investigation against him, alleging bias, personal vendetta and procedural abuse in the ongoing probe.
The request was conveyed in a press statement issued through his media aide, in which Malami argued that he could not receive a fair and lawful investigation under the current EFCC leadership and called for the case to be transferred to another law enforcement agency.
Malami, a former justice minister under ex-President Muhammadu Buhari, on Monday demanded that the EFCC chairman recuse himself from an ongoing investigation into alleged abuse of office, money laundering and terrorism financing, citing “deep-seated historical animosity” and “retaliatory persecution” as reasons for his concern.
The move came days after Malami was detained by the EFCC in Abuja following his failure to meet bail conditions, and amid growing political reactions in Kebbi State and beyond over his treatment by the anti-graft agency.
In his statement, Malami accused the EFCC of engaging in “illegal detention, media harassment and procedural abuse,” insisting that the investigation into his time as attorney-general was not motivated by genuine law enforcement objectives.
“I have been clearly pre-judged and cannot receive a fair, objective or lawful investigation under the current leadership of the EFCC,” he said, arguing that the process lacked impartiality and transparency.
He anchored his claims on events dating back to the Justice Ayo Salami Judicial Commission of Enquiry, which investigated alleged corruption and abuse of office within the EFCC during his tenure as minister.
Malami noted that the current EFCC chairman served as secretary to that commission and alleged that adverse findings in the Salami panel report had created a lingering hostility that now shaped the agency’s handling of his case.
“The present investigation bears all the hallmarks of retaliatory persecution motivated by personal vengeance,” Malami alleged, urging the chairman to withdraw from any role in his case to “restore credibility and public confidence.”
He also called on the current Attorney-General of the Federation, as the country’s chief law officer, to intervene and assign the matter to another competent law enforcement body.
Malami’s legal team has begun moves to challenge aspects of the probe, including requests for certified copies of the petitions that triggered the investigation and the EFCC’s internal report, saying these documents are necessary to prepare his defence.
“My singular objective is to clear my name openly and transparently before a court of competent jurisdiction,” Malami said, rejecting any suggestion that he was seeking a political settlement or back-channel arrangement.
The EFCC invited Malami for questioning in late November 2025 over allegations linked to abuse of office, money laundering and terrorism financing, according to commission documents and statements by his media aide.
Malami confirmed that he honoured the invitation on November 28 and initially described the engagement as “successful,” later insisting that some accusations collapsed under scrutiny.
