Ex-AGF Malami Denies Financing Terrorism, Dismisses Report

Former Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, has dismissed reports linking him to terrorism financing.

He described the allegation as a “vague assertion” that has been politically manipulated.

In a statement on Saturday, Malami said his attention was drawn to a recent publication alleging that he and other prominent Nigerians had links with terror suspects or alleged financiers.

The report in question, titled “Terror Suspects, Alleged Financiers Were Linked To Powerful Nigerians Including Ex-AGF Malami, Former Army Chiefs, Others – Maj. Gen. Ali-Keffi (Rtd)”, was published on December 5 by SaharaReporters.

The allegations were made by Major General Ali-Keffi (retd.), a former General Officer Commanding, who was appointed in 2021 to lead Operation Service Wide (OSW), a multi-agency counter-terrorism task force mandated to identify Boko Haram financiers and dismantle their networks.

In the report, Ali-Keffi claimed that during investigations conducted by OSW in collaboration with the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU), two terror suspects were “linked” through business or institutional relationships to Abubakar Malami, while others were similarly linked to former military chiefs and financial officials.

However, Malami faulted the publication, stating that it was misleading and not supported by any concrete facts.

“I state clearly and unequivocally that I have never at any time been accused, invited, interrogated, investigated or charged by any security, law-enforcement, regulatory or intelligence agency, within or outside Nigeria, in respect of terrorism financing or any related offence,” Malami said.

He added that even the retired military officer cited as the principal source in the publication had expressly stated that he was not accusing him or others of financing terrorism.

According to Malami, the officer merely made a vague assertion that some suspects allegedly had “business” or “institutional” relationships with certain individuals, a clarification he said was overshadowed by a misleading headline and framing.

“That important clarification was unfortunately overshadowed by a headline and framing capable of misleading well-meaning members of the public into drawing inaccurate and damaging conclusions, which was politically manipulated by my political opponents to create mischievous insinuations implying my involvement in terrorism financing,” he said.

Malami stressed that terrorism financing is a grave crime with devastating consequences and warned that any attempt to associate an individual with such an offence must be based on verifiable facts, due process and lawful findings, not speculation or guilt by association.

“To suggest that lawful professional or institutional engagements can, without more, be read as evidence of terrorism financing is both mischievous and unjust,” he stated.

The former Attorney-General further said his public record in office clearly contradicted any insinuation of complicity in terrorism financing.

He highlighted key reforms he led during his tenure, including the establishment of an independent Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit, the enactment of the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022, and the Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.

The former AGF said the reforms strengthened Nigeria’s anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism financing framework and contributed to the country’s eventual removal from the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) grey list.

He added that engagement with a wide range of individuals is a normal feature of public service and should not be misconstrued as evidence of wrongdoing.

Malami urged the media to exercise responsibility when reporting national security issues, warning that careless reporting could damage reputations and undermine public confidence in state institutions.

He reaffirmed his commitment to the rule of law and added that he reserves the right to seek legal redress over any publication that misrepresents his role in Nigeria’s fight against money laundering and terrorism financing.