Former Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, SAN, has dismissed as false allegations of being investigated by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for terrorism financing and operating 46 bank accounts.
Malami, who was recently mentioned by an online medium for financing terrorism, in a statement from his Media Assistant, Mohammed Doka, said he has not been investigated by any security agency locally or internationally for such an allegation or any other.
He therefore called on the media and Nigerians to stop the media trial of his person.
Exonerating Malami from the allegations, the Media Aide said, “The Office of the former Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, SAN, wishes to categorically refute recent allegations circulating in parts of the media regarding terrorism financing, the existence of purported 46 bank accounts linked to Malami, and other unfounded insinuations, all of which are false, misleading and baseless.
“We state without equivocation that there is no allegation, investigation or charge of terrorism financing against Abubakar Malami, SAN, by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) or by any other security, intelligence or law-enforcement agency, whether in Nigeria or abroad.
“Similarly, claims suggesting that Mr Malami operates or controls “46 bank accounts” are entirely fictitious, unsupported by facts, official records or lawful findings, and merely form part of a coordinated media trial aimed at character assassination.
“At no time has Mr Malami been questioned, investigated or confronted with issues relating to terrorism financing or any alleged multiple bank accounts. Even the retired military officer cited in recent reports explicitly clarified that he never accused Mr Malami of financing terrorism, a crucial clarification that was irresponsibly overshadowed by sensational headlines and mischievous framing.
“Mr Malami’s public service record directly contradicts such insinuations. During his tenure as Attorney-General, he played a leading role in strengthening Nigeria’s anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism financing (AML/CFT) framework, including the establishment of an independent Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU).
“We urge Nigerians of goodwill to disregard the concocted allegations, sensational reporting and ongoing media trial designed to malign the person and record of Abubakar Malami, SAN.
‘We sincerely thank all right-thinking Nigerians for their concern, prayers, support and steadfast confidence. Your messages of encouragement reaffirm our belief that truth, law and reason will always prevail.
“We remain confident that Abubakar Malami, SAN, will emerge stronger and better, and that together, we shall triumph against all forms of political witch-hunt, misinformation and intimidation.”
