Malami Asks EFCC Chairman to Recuse Himself, Alleges Political Witch-Hunt

Former Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, SAN, has demanded that the Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) step aside from an ongoing investigation involving him, describing the probe as a politically driven “witch-hunt.”

In a press statement issued on Monday, Malami alleged that the investigation and his detention were fueled by personal hostility linked to his recent defection to the African Democratic Congress (ADC). He claimed the EFCC Chairman harbours a longstanding grudge 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.

According to Malami, “The present investigation—marked by illegal detentions, media harassment, and procedural abuses—bears all the hallmarks of retaliatory persecution motivated by personal vengeance.” He argued that the EFCC, under its current leadership, lacks the impartiality required to fairly investigate him.

The former AGF formally called for the EFCC Chairman’s recusal and urged that the matter be handed over to another government agency to guarantee objectivity, credibility, and public trust. He also appealed to the current Attorney-General of the Federation to intervene, warning that the continued involvement of the EFCC Chairman could further erode institutional integrity and amount to abuse of prosecutorial powers.

Malami insisted that the case should be subjected to judicial oversight, urging his immediate arraignment before a competent court in line with Sections 35(3), (4), and (5) of the Nigerian Constitution. He maintained that only a court of law—not what he described as a politically compromised agency—has the authority to determine the matter.

He further accused the EFCC of intending to rely on what he termed questionable witnesses, including individuals convicted outside Nigeria, to support its case. Malami described such an approach as “desperate, scandalous, and corrosive to the integrity of Nigeria’s criminal justice system.”

The statement disclosed that Malami’s legal team has formally requested certified copies of the petitions and investigation reports underpinning the EFCC’s actions, including petitions from Human and Environmental Agenda and Grassroot Advocacy for Peace and Good Governance.

Malami said his goal is to clear his name openly through lawful judicial processes, cautioning against the politicisation of anti-corruption institutions. “The law must remain supreme—above politics, above power, and above persons,” he stated.

The statement was signed by Mohammed Bello Doka, Special Assistant on Media to Abubakar Malami, SAN.

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