Operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on Wednesday carried out searches at the Abuja office and private residences of former Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami (SAN), in Abuja and Kebbi State.
The development was confirmed by Malami’s media aide, Mohammed Doka, who said the action followed recent public references by Malami’s camp to Chapter 9 of the Justice Ayo Salami Judicial Commission of Inquiry Report. According to Doka, the EFCC raid was aimed at retrieving copies of that section of the report.
Malami’s camp accused the EFCC Chairman, Ola Olukoyede, of prejudice in the matter and called for his withdrawal from any investigation involving the former AGF. The statement described the timing and scale of the operation as suspicious, questioning its legality and underlying motive.
The Justice Ayo Salami panel was set up by the Federal Government in 2021 to probe allegations of corruption, abuse of office and mismanagement of recovered assets within the EFCC, especially during the leadership of former chairman, Ibrahim Magu. Although the report was submitted to the Presidency in November 2021, it has not been fully released to the public.
Chapter 9 of the report has generated controversy due to claims that it contains findings on the conduct of senior government officials, including Malami, during his period as supervising minister of the EFCC. Malami’s office recently relied on the chapter to question the neutrality of the current EFCC leadership and formally requested the chairman’s recusal.
Reacting to the raids, Malami’s aides described the operation as “deeply disturbing,” alleging it was an act of intimidation linked to the call for recusal. They warned that the safety of Malami and his associates had been put at risk and urged both local and international observers to take note of what they described as a dangerous trend.
The statement also challenged the EFCC to explain the legal justification for conducting searches allegedly focused on a specific section of a judicial report, arguing that proper legal procedures were ignored.
Malami further appealed to civil society groups, professional associations and human rights organisations to press the Federal Government and the Ministry of Justice to release the full Justice Ayo Salami report, particularly Chapter 9, in the interest of transparency and accountability.
He maintained that he is prepared to face any impartial and lawful investigation in a competent court, stressing that raids and public accusations cannot replace due process and the rule of law.
As at the time of this report, the EFCC had not issued an official statement on the allegations surrounding the searches.
