By Muhammad Mamman
The office of Nigeria’s former Attorney-General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami, has accused the country’s anti-corruption agency of carrying out coordinated raids on his offices and private residences in what it describes as an act of intimidation linked to a controversial judicial report.
In a statement issued on Tuesday, Malami’s media aide, Mohammed Bello Doka, said operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) searched Malami’s offices and homes in Abuja and Kebbi State without prior notice.
According to the statement, the alleged raids took place shortly after Malami’s office issued a public reference to Chapter 9 of the Justice Ayo Salami Judicial Commission of Inquiry Report, a section said to contain findings implicating senior EFCC officials.
“The timing and nature of these actions are deeply alarming,” the statement said, adding that the operatives were specifically seeking documents related to Chapter 9 of the report.
Malami’s office suggested the searches amounted to retaliation following renewed calls for the recusal of EFCC Chairman Ola Olukoyede, who served as secretary to the Salami-led panel and is mentioned in the disputed chapter. It alleged a conflict of interest and accused the EFCC leadership of bias.
“We hereby place Nigerians and the international community on notice that any harm to our personnel or to Abubakar Malami, SAN, will be solely attributable to this pattern of conduct,” the statement warned.
The former justice minister’s office urged the media and the public to scrutinise the justification for the alleged raids, while renewing calls for the full public release of the Salami Report in the interest of transparency and accountability. It also appealed to civil society organisations, professional bodies and human rights groups to intervene.
The EFCC has not publicly responded to the allegations.
Malami, who served as attorney-general under former President Muhammadu Buhari, is currently under EFCC investigation over allegations including abuse of office, money laundering and matters related to the recovery of funds looted during the regime of late military ruler Sani Abacha.
He has repeatedly denied wrongdoing, claiming the investigation is politically motivated and tainted by conflicts of interest linked to the Salami Report.
The Justice Ayo Salami Judicial Commission of Inquiry was set up to investigate alleged abuses by the EFCC and other agencies, but its findings – particularly Chapter 9 – have remained a subject of dispute years after the panel concluded its work.
