Onoh defends EFCC probe of Malami, dismisses claims of witch-hunt

By Denis Agbo

Abuja — A former South-East spokesman to President Bola Tinubu and Chairman of the Forum of Former Members of the Enugu State House of Assembly, Mr. Denge Josef Onoh, has defended the ongoing investigation of former Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice, Malam Abubakar Malami, by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), insisting that the probe is neither a witch-hunt nor politically motivated.

Onoh, in a statement made available to journalists from his residence in Marne-la-Vallée, Paris, said the EFCC investigation was justified by questions surrounding Malami’s assets and conduct while in public office, and should be allowed to run its course without interference.

He recalled Malami’s background prior to his appointment as AGF in 2015, describing him as a career legal practitioner and politician from Kebbi State with no publicly known record of vast private business interests before assuming office.

Malami, born on April 17, 1967, in Birnin Kebbi, obtained his law degree from Usmanu Danfodiyo University in 1991, was called to the Nigerian Bar in 1992, and was conferred with the rank of Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) in 2008.

According to Onoh, Malami’s professional career before 2015 was largely centred on private legal practice, including work at K.T. Turaki & Co., service as a magistrate and state counsel in Kebbi State, and as principal partner at A.A. Malami & Co. between 2002 and 2015.

He added that Malami was active in opposition politics, serving as National Legal Adviser of the defunct Congress for Progressive Change (CPC), contributing to the merger that produced the All Progressives Congress (APC) 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.

Onoh further stated that there were no credible public records indicating that Malami owned or operated large-scale private businesses before his appointment as AGF, adding that philanthropic initiatives linked to him at the time were charitable rather than commercial.

However, he alleged that following Malami’s tenure as AGF from 2015 to 2023, the former minister became associated with several high-value assets, including hotels, educational institutions, agricultural ventures, and properties in Abuja, Kano, and Kebbi states.

He argued that the sudden accumulation of such wealth raises questions that warrant investigation, adding that the EFCC probe reportedly centres on allegations of abuse of office, money laundering, mismanagement of recovered Abacha loot funds, and unexplained assets.

Onoh dismissed Malami’s claims that the investigation was politically motivated, arguing that the former AGF does not wield sufficient political influence to justify such a narrative.

He also criticised Malami’s references to portions of the Justice Salami Report, describing them as selective, and called for full scrutiny of petitions submitted by civil society groups, including the Human and Environmental Development Agenda (HEDA).

The former presidential spokesman further challenged Malami to provide evidence of substantial tax payments or records of thriving business ventures prior to 2015.

He accused Malami of attempting to undermine the EFCC through allegations of 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 controversial naira redesign policy of 2022–2023, which he said caused widespread hardship and was later faulted by the Supreme Court. He alleged that Malami provided legal backing for actions that ignored interim court orders, a claim he said raised questions about the former minister’s professional conduct.

In his concluding remarks, Onoh urged Nigerians to support the EFCC in carrying out its statutory duties.

“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.

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