The Human and Environmental Development Agenda (HEDA Resource Centre) has taken a strong stance against former Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, urging him to face an investigation regarding allegations of corruption and misuse of his position. Instead of addressing these serious claims, HEDA criticizes Malami for attempting to shift the focus by alleging bias and persecution against him.
In a statement released by HEDA’s Chairman, Olanrewaju Suraju, the organization responded to Malami's request for the Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to withdraw from an ongoing investigation related to him. HEDA characterized Malami's accusations of bias and political vendetta as a deliberate strategy to divert attention away from the serious matters concerning his conduct.
Furthermore, HEDA pointed out that during Malami's time as Attorney-General, he failed to publish or officially release the findings of the Justice Ayo Salami Judicial Commission of Inquiry, despite ongoing public demand for transparency since the panel concluded its work. The organization expressed concerns that the continued confidentiality of this report raises significant questions about the legitimacy and trustworthiness of both the inquiry and the government that established it.
HEDA also highlighted that many individuals who were either called to testify or were implicated by the Salami panel have continued to prosper in their careers. For instance, Ibrahim Magu, the former Acting Chairman of the EFCC, returned to the Nigeria Police Force, achieving the rank of Assistant Inspector General before retiring with honor. In addition, Rotimi Oyedepo was elevated to the status of Senior Advocate of Nigeria and currently serves as a Special Adviser to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. Suraju emphasized that such advancements contribute to the public’s perception that the panel may have been aimed at specific targets rather than genuine reform.
The organization identified Magu, Oyedepo, and the current EFCC Chairman, Ola Olukoyede—who served as the commission's Secretary—as the main subjects of Malami’s actions and the inquiry. HEDA, which was instrumental in the 2023 petition that led to the investigation and subsequent arrest of Malami, alleged that the Salami panel was primarily focused on these three individuals: Magu for resisting Malami's attempts to interfere in EFCC investigations, Oyedepo for opposing the misuse of prosecutorial power through a nolle prosequi in a case pursued by the EFCC under the authority of the Lagos Attorney General, and Olukoyede for contesting Malami’s overreach in illegally managing recovered stolen assets.
Moreover, the Federal High Court in Lagos sided with HEDA regarding its challenge to the asset management guidelines issued by Malami, declaring them illegal, null, and void. HEDA argued that the failure to publish or officially announce the panel’s findings after the removal of these individuals further undermines Malami’s current claims of being persecuted, as he now seeks to rely on the very process that he previously disregarded.
