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By Lizzy Chirkpi
Former Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, SAN, has been invited by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for questioning over multiple allegations linked to his time in office under the administration of the late former President Muhammadu Buhari.
According to sources, Malami is being investigated over a series of high-level financial transactions, including the alleged payment of large sums in foreign currency to individuals who presented themselves as consultants to the Federal Government. Part of the probe is also expected to examine claims that portions of the funds recovered from late Head of State General Sani Abacha repatriated while Malami was in office were allegedly mismanaged or relooted.
Malami’s insistence that the Ministry of Justice should retain control over all recovered assets reportedly contributed to the rift that led to the eventual removal of former EFCC Chairman Ibrahim Magu.
Among those said to have benefited from consultant-related payments during Malami’s tenure are Delta North Senator Ned Nwoko and Prince Nicholas Ukachukwu, the APC governorship candidate in the recent Anambra election.
Malami also headed the Justice Ministry when IPOB leader Mazi Nnamdi Kanu was forcibly returned from Kenya a process the Court of Appeal later ruled violated established legal procedures. He further filed the ex-parte motion that resulted in the designation of IPOB as a terrorist organization.
Confirming the EFCC invitation in a Facebook post on Friday, Malami wrote: “This is to confirm that I have been invited by the EFCC.
As a law-abiding and patriotic citizen, I hereby reaffirm my commitment to honour the invitation.
I understand the spirit of accountability and transparency in public service and the principles that I both advocate and champion.
Rooted in public service and in the spirit of transparency and accountability, I am committed to sharing with the Nigerian public the developments as they unfold.”
Now a member of the ADC, a growing opposition coalition working against President Bola Tinubu’s 2027 re-election bid, Malami is said to be eyeing the governorship seat in Kebbi State. Political observers speculate that he may face formal charges as the EFCC deepens its investigation.