A former Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, SAN, has asked the Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Ola Olukayode to recuse himself from his ongoing investigation.
This is as Malami accused Olukayode of bias, personal vendetta and political persecution linked to his recent defection to the African Democratic Congress.
Malami, who stated this through his media aide, Muhammad Doka, on Monday, alleged that the EFCC is conducting what he described as an illegal detention, media harassment and procedural abuse.
The former AGF insisted that the probe against him was not driven by law enforcement considerations but by deep-seated historical animosity on the part of the EFCC leadership.
The statement read in part;
“The present actions of the EFCC are not borne out of law enforcement imperatives but are instead driven by deep-seated historical animosity and a malicious personal vendetta orchestrated by the EFCC Chairman.
“While serving as Attorney-General of the Federation, Malami recalls that the Federal Government constituted the Justice Ayo Salami Judicial Commission of Inquiry to investigate grave allegations of corruption and abuse of office within the EFCC. At the time, the current EFCC Chairman served as Secretary to the Commission.
“The Salami Report, which is in the public domain, contains serious findings implicating the present EFCC Chairman, particularly as detailed in chapter 9 of the report. The report included possible prosecution of the current EFCC Chairman.
“It is against this background that the present investigation—marked by illegal detentions, media harassment, and procedural abuses—now bears all the hallmarks of retaliatory persecution motivated by personal vengeance. This conduct, Malami asserts, constitutes a grave abuse of office and a direct affront to the rule of law.
“Malami further states that he has been clearly pre-judged and therefore cannot receive a fair, objective, or lawful investigation or trial before the EFCC under its current leadership.
“In light of the foregoing, Abubakar Malami, SAN, formally demands that the EFCC Chairman immediately recuse himself from any further involvement in the investigation or prosecution. He insists that the matter be handed over to another appropriate government enforcement agency to restore credibility, legality, and public confidence.
“Malami has also called on the Honourable Attorney-General of the Federation, as the Chief Law Officer of the Federation, to prevail on the EFCC Chairman to recuse himself, in order to prevent further institutional damage and ensure that prosecutorial powers are not abused for partisan or personal ends.
“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).
“He has consistently maintained that only a court of competent jurisdiction, and not politically compromised agencies, can lawfully and credibly adjudicate this matter.
“Disturbingly, Malami also accuses the EFCC of attempting to rely on individuals who have been convicted by foreign courts and are subject to subsisting criminal sentences abroad as potential witnesses against him. Such individuals, who ought ordinarily to be subjects of lawful extradition proceedings, are instead being weaponised to advance a domestic political agenda.
“This strategy, Malami warns, is desperate, scandalous, and corrosive to the integrity of Nigeria’s criminal justice system.” part of the statement read.
