Former South East spokesman to President Bola Tinubu, Josef Onoh, has defended the ongoing investigation of former Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.
Mr Onoh, who is also chairman of the Forum of Former Members of the Enugu State House of Assembly, said the probe was justified and should be allowed to run its course without interference.
In a statement issued from Marne la Vallée, Paris, Onoh dismissed claims by Mr Malami that the investigation was politically motivated, describing such arguments as unfounded.
He recalled Malami’s background before his appointment as attorney general in 2015, stating that his career was largely centred on private legal practice and politics in Kebbi State.
Malami was born on April 17, 1967, in Birnin Kebbi.
He obtained his law degree from Usmanu Danfodiyo University in 1991, was called to the Nigerian Bar in 1992 and became a Senior Advocate of Nigeria in 2008.
Onoh said Malami worked with K.T. Turaki and Company, served as a magistrate and state counsel in Kebbi State, and later ran A.A.
Malami and Company between 2002 and 2015.
He added that Malami was active in opposition politics, serving as national legal adviser of the Congress for Progressive Change, contributing to the formation of the All Progressives Congress in 2013 and contesting the APC governorship primaries in Kebbi State in 2014.
“I therefore challenge Malami to make public his asset declaration prior to 2015,” Onoh said.
He stated that there were no public records showing that Malami owned or operated large private businesses before becoming attorney general, adding that philanthropic initiatives linked to him at the time were charitable and not commercial.
According to Onoh, Malami became associated with several high value assets after leaving office in 2023, including hotels, educational institutions, agricultural ventures and properties in Abuja, Kano and Kebbi states.
He argued that the scale of the assets raised questions that required investigation, noting that the EFCC probe reportedly relates to allegations of abuse of office, money laundering, mismanagement of recovered Abacha loot funds and unexplained wealth.
Onoh also rejected Malami’s claim that the probe was driven by politics, saying the former minister did not wield the level of political influence that could justify such a narrative.
He criticised Malami’s reference to parts of the Justice Ayo Salami report, describing it as selective and called for full scrutiny of petitions submitted to the EFCC by civil society groups.
Onoh further challenged Malami to provide evidence of significant tax payments or records of thriving business ventures before 2015.
He accused the former attorney general of attempting to undermine the EFCC by alleging bias and intimidation, adding that as a former chief law officer of the federation, Malami should submit himself fully to investigation.
Onoh also recalled Malami’s role in defending the naira redesign policy of 2022 and 2023, which he said caused hardship and was later faulted by the Supreme Court.
He alleged that Malami provided legal backing for actions that ignored court orders.
In his concluding remarks, Onoh urged Nigerians to support the EFCC.
“Every right thinking Nigerian must rise in defence of the EFCC and allow the agency to perform its mandate without fear or favour. Accountability must prevail for Nigeria’s progress,” he said.
