Adeyanju Backs EFCC Chairman Amid Malami’s Vendetta Allegation

Human rights lawyer and activist Deji Adeyanju has rejected calls by former Attorney-General of the Federation Abubakar Malami, SAN, for the Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Ola Olukoyede, to step aside or resign over allegations of a politically motivated witch-hunt.

Malami, through his Special Assistant on Media, Mohammed Bello Doka, on Monday, had accused the EFCC of pursuing him out of a personal vendetta allegedly linked to his recent defection to the African Democratic Congress (ADC).

He claimed that the investigation against him was not driven by law enforcement considerations but by historical animosity involving the EFCC chairman.

The former AGF traced the alleged vendetta to the period when the Federal Government set up the Justice Ayo Salami Judicial Commission of Inquiry to investigate allegations of corruption and abuse of office within the EFCC.

Malami noted that Olukoyede served as secretary to the commission and claimed that the Salami Report, particularly Chapter Nine, contained findings implicating the current EFCC chairman and recommendations for possible prosecution.

Based on this, Malami alleged that the ongoing EFCC investigation is characterised by illegal detentions, media harassment and procedural abuses, which he described as retaliatory persecution and a grave abuse of office.

He maintained that he had been prejudged and could not receive a fair, objective or lawful investigation under the current EFCC leadership.

Malami therefore demanded that the EFCC chairman immediately recuse himself from any further involvement in the matter and called on the Attorney-General of the Federation to intervene to prevent what he described as further institutional damage.

He also insisted that the EFCC either file charges against him and arraign him before a court of competent jurisdiction within 24 hours or release him, citing Sections 35(3), (4) and (5) of the 1999 Constitution, as amended.

He further accused the anti-graft agency of attempting to rely on individuals convicted by foreign courts and serving criminal sentences abroad as potential witnesses against him, describing such a move as desperate and corrosive to the integrity of Nigeria’s criminal justice system.

Malami said his legal team had formally requested certified true copies of the petitions forming the basis of the investigation, as well as the EFCC’s investigation report, to enable him to adequately prepare his defence.

However, Adeyanju dismissed Malami’s assertions and urged the EFCC to proceed with its investigation without hesitation.

In a statement shared with THE WHISTLER on Monday, Adeyanju said the EFCC must be allowed to probe Malami, particularly over issues connected to his tenure as Attorney-General of the Federation, including matters relating to the Abacha loot.

“Public office is a trust, and all past and present public officials must be prepared to give a full account of how that trust was exercised,” Adeyanju said.

He argued that Malami, while in office, wielded enormous state power and subjected many individuals, including members of the opposition, to prosecution.

“Malami showed no restraint while in government and wielded state power against everyone, including members of the opposition. Having subjected others to prosecution, he cannot now escape from the same process,” Adeyanju added.

Adeyanju stressed that allegations of vendetta should not be used as a shield to frustrate lawful investigations, insisting that accountability and due process must apply equally to all public officials, past and present.