I Have Nothing Personal Against Malami – Olukoyede EFCC Chairman Insists

By Suleiman Anyalewechi

The Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission EFCC Ola Olukoyede has informed that he did not initiate the probe and subsequent prosecution of former Attorney General and Minister of Justice Abubakar Malami ,but inherited same. He inherited  the file of the case.

This is as he dismissed claims  suggesting that the former late President Mohammadu Buhari’s Minister of Justice is being politically  witch-hunted using the Commission as a tool.

The EFCC Chairman’s comments are coming against repeated accusations from Malami that the anti-graft agency under Olukoyede is pursuing both a personal vendetta  and a politically orchestrated smear campaign against him.

The Source reports that in the aftermath of his declaration of interest to contest the Governorship seat of Kebbi state in 2027, Malami who is married to one of  Buhari’s daughter, has been facing a litany of probes and court actions from EFCC’ and other security agencies including the latest from the Department of State Service DSS over alleged discovery of a large quantity of arms cache at his Kebbi residence.

Particularly, Malami had alleged that his ordeal may not be unconnected with the role he played in setting up the Justice Ayo Salami-led panel that allegedly indicted the EFCC’ chairman over some wrong doings while serving as the Secretary of the anti-graft agency between 2020 and 2023.

According to the former Minister of Justice, the EFCC Chairman who is not happy with the said indictment is now pursing a personal vendetta against him.

But speaking on Channels Television programme ” Politics Today, the EFCC boss insisted that the probes and prosecutions are not being  driven by any personal motives , neither are they politically motivated as being alleged by Malami

” I am yet to see the facts ,he ( Malami) wants to bring out to buttress that claim ,if he actually said that . I don’t understand . We carry out our investigation in the most professional way.

“There is nothing personal in this matter. If Nigeria is to move forward, all of us must agree that this fight must be fought without being partisan.

“And that is what I want Nigerians to understand and to agree with us. The investigation of this man (Malami) predated me in the office . A lot of you don’t know that. Yes. I Inherited the investigation file.

“The only thing I did was to ensure that the investigation was carried out in a very professional ,and thorough manner.

“It has been under investigation for almost two and a half years. That file was opened long before me. I Inherited it.

“For the past two years that I have been in the office, we have been painstakingly carrying out the investigation, trying to establish some of these offences and all of that . Not until I  was convinced that we had a watertight case we began prosecution.

“So there is nothing personal about it ,. I don’t understand the issue of persecution and all of that . There is nothing.personal about it” Olukoyede maintained.

The anti-corruption commission Chairman also denied allegations that he seeking to settle a personal score with Malami over his alleged indictment .

” Let me put this matter to rest once and for all. Now, those who claim I was fraudulently or criminally indicted by the panel ( Justice Ayo Salami-led panel) ,the onus is on them to publish the report for people to see .

“Don’t forget that the panel was set up in 2020, and I think they rounded off their activities in early 2021. And between 2021 and 2023, when the new Government came into office, the former Attorney General was in office.

“I am very sure he had access to the report. Why was the report not published for two years , while he was in office?  Why was it that after an investigation was opened, and charges were about to be filed, he now came to the public to say it was persecution because of the report of the panel .

“For me, I have not seen the report of the panel. I won’t speak on what I cannot lay my hands on. That is number one.

Olukoyede noted that he was not the main subject matter of the panel’s investigation ,but the then Acting Chairman of the Commission.

However, he informed that he, as the Secretary , alongside about seven others were invited by thr panel to offer some clarifications.