Our Reporter, Abuja
Human rights activist and former presidential candidate Omoyele Sowore has called on the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to comply with court order granting bail to former Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami (SAN).
In a post shared on X on Wednesday, Sowore stressed that he “will never support extrajudicial measures against anyone,” urging the anti-graft agency to respect the rule of law in Malami’s case.
However, Sowore also used the opportunity to highlight what he described as “the despicable conduct” of the Muhammadu Buhari administration and Malami’s tenure, accusing them of governing with “arrogance and impunity” and acting as though there would be no accountability for their actions.
Sowore also recounted his own experience under the Buhari regime, noting that after four months in detention in 2019 he was granted bail by a court. He alleged that Malami, then attorney general, and the former Director-General of the Department of State Services (DSS), Yusuf Bichi, imposed extra conditions by demanding that his sureties report to the DSS for profiling – a demand Sowore said he refused as unlawful.
Malami, who served as Nigeria’s chief law officer from 2015 to 2023, is currently at the centre of a sweeping corruption investigation by the EFCC. The anti-graft agency has filed a 16-count money-laundering charge against him, his son and an associate, at the Federa High Court, Abuja, alleging they used front companies and complex transactions to conceal and disguise the origin of funds and acquire high-value properties across Abuja, Kebbi and Kano. The charges include counts of concealing over ₦1 billion through a corporate vehicle, alleged transactions spanning nearly a decade and purported acquisition of dozens of valuable properties allegedly linked to unlawful proceeds. Malami and his co-defendants are yet to be arraigned.
