Another Look At The Travails Of Abubakar Malami And Matters Arising -By Hajia Hadiza Mohammed

When Abubakar Malami, the two-time Attorney general of the Federation and Minister of Justice from 2015 to 2023, published his memoir entitled: “Traversing the Thorny Terrain of Nigeria’s Justice Sector: My travails and Triumphs”, I believe that he hadn’t only his past challenges in the murky waters of Nigerian politics but his current travails in the hands of the government agencies in mind. For some time now the nation’s former number one law officer and some members of his family (Bashir Asabe, his wife and Abdulaziz Malami, his son) have been harangued by government agencies. The anti-graft agency has questioned the sources of his family wealth which he had previously stated in his asset declaration form submitted before he assumed office in 2015. They have accused him of corruption, diversion of recovered looted funds and money laundry; something he had been previously cleared of. He is also being accused of illegal possession of firearms and terrorism financing allegedly for his refusal to try those identified as terrorism financiers when he was the attorney general and minister of Justice of the Federation. If Malami refused to try terrorism financiers as alleged, why has not the current government persecuting try the said identified financiers of terrorism in the country?

This morning, as I watched the viral video footage of the EFCC operators led by one Folarin Dare on a mission to condone off Malami’s Maitama home located at 2, Koranakh Close, Off Amazon Street, I felt revulsion in my heart. The embattled legal luminary and politician had asked the gun-wielding EFCC officers that stormed his residence, for the forfeiture order from the court authorizing them to seal of his property. He had questioned why they should come to seal off his property when the matter is still in court.

This was the man who was in charge of the administration of justice in the immediate past regime and who has been in the same political camp with Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu. He was foundation member of the Tinubu’s APC in 2013 and the resource person to the Manifesto Drafting sub-committee of the Inter Joint Party Merger Committees between the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC), the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) and the All Nigerians Peoples Party (ANPP), the legacy parties that formed the All Progressives Congress (APC). During his tenure as the Minister of Justice, he introduced many reforms that improved the administration of justice in the country. He facilitated the repatriation of over $300 million Nigerian funds looted and stashed abroad during the Abacha’s regime. And in 2020, the office of the Attorney General won a landmark legal battle against the Inter-ocean Oil over a contract dispute in the International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes. In the ruling, Nigeria relieved of the $1.5b in liability payment and was awarded $660,000 in arbitration cost.

All issues of disputes and corruption thrown at Abubakar Malami in the past have all been exhaustibly thrashed out. Thus, it is believed by many that the current travails of the nation’s former number one law officer is not unconnected with his defection to the opposition party, the ADC from the ruling APC that is hell-bent on destroying the practice of Democracy in the country. Many have asked and rightly too that: would Malami have been so harassed or molested if he had remained with the Tinubu’s APC? The answer of course is a resounding no. What Tinubu is doing is selective justice and harassment and intimidation of the opposition. This is very clear to both the goat and the chicken as the Igbo would put it. I have also observed this in my series on the harassment of the opposition by Tinubu’s government.

What amazes me is the aggression with which our security operatives carry out their brutality on defenseless citizens especially when the order is from above. This calls for question: the relevance of the nation’s anti-graft agencies which have been transformed into a witch-hunting tools in the hands of the executives to intimidate and oppress the perceived political enemies. They throw caution to the winds whenever they get orders from the presidency to attack. Most times they operate without following the rules of engagement just to please the powers that be. This was exactly what Malami fought against when he was the Attorney-general and Minister of Justice; something that made him recommend the removal of Ibrahim Magu, who is believed to be Tinubu’s man, from the office of the chairman of the EFCC. Some are insinuating that that may be part of the cause of Malami’s current travail.

It is ironical that Bola Ahmed Tinubu who benefitted immensely from opposition politics has killed opposition thereby endangering the nation’s nascent democracy. What an irony! The man who is known and generally identified with opposition politics brooks no opposition. With the state power and by every means available to him he works to destroy opposition and freedom of association so that he can hold on to power.

It is unfortunate! Political persecution and victimization is elevated to a state policy under Tinubu and this is unhealthy to our democracy. The constitution guarantees every citizen freedom of association. Nigeria will not make meaningful progress in an atmosphere of impunity and high-handedness that stifle, freedom of association, civil advocacy, dissenting views and vibrant opposition. Attacking Malami for his political affiliation is like an infringement on his inalienable right to association. Nigerian must speak out against this. Today, it is about Malami, tomorrow it might be you.

Hajia Hadiza Mohammed 

hajiahadizamohammed@gmail.com

An actress, social activist, politician

London, UK