Abubakar Malami, former Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, has clarified that his recent engagement with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) was solely related to inquiries about alleged duplication in the recovery of the Abacha loot, and not connected to any accusations of terrorism financing or money laundering.
In a statement issued from his media office, Malami characterized claims circulating in various media outlets as “false, misleading, and baseless.” He insisted that no law enforcement agency has accused him of terrorism financing or related offenses.
Malami stated that his discussions with the EFCC revolved exclusively around the recovery of $310 million linked to former military ruler Sani Abacha. He confirmed that the EFCC had initially reviewed allegations concerning abuse of office and money laundering but found no evidence to support these claims.
He detailed that his engagement aimed to address concerns regarding the recovery process, emphasizing that there was no duplication since prior to 2016, the funds had not been deposited into the Federation Account. He provided documentation showing that requests for re-engagement regarding the recovery process had been made, affirming that earlier negotiations had not concluded.
Malami defended the financial decisions during the recovery processes, emphasizing that they ultimately saved the country significant amounts. He noted that different tranches of funds recovered were allocated to various government projects, including infrastructure improvements.
Responding to the claims made by a retired military officer who supposedly accused him of financing terrorism, Malami asserted that this individual had clarified that he never made such accusations.
Furthermore, he urged the public to disregard what he described as a coordinated smear campaign against him, reaffirming his commitment to anti-corruption measures and his role in developing Nigeria’s financial intelligence framework.
Malami’s statement comes amidst reports of his detention by the EFCC due to failures to meet bail conditions in connection with multiple ongoing investigations, which reportedly involve 18 different offenses.
