Malami denies links to terror financing alleged in media report

Former Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, has rejected allegations linking him to terrorism financing, following a SaharaReporters publication that named him among Nigerians allegedly connected to terror financiers.

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The SaharaReporters article, published on Friday, reported that two suspects arrested under a counter-terrorism investigation were “linked to” Mr Malami and other prominent Nigerians.

In a statement on his Facebook page on Friday evening, the Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) said he has never been accused, investigated, or charged by any Nigerian or international agency in connection with terrorism financing.

He added that the retired military officer cited as the principal source did not accuse him of any wrongdoing and that the report misrepresented his role.

Although, Mr Malami was never personally accused of any terrorism-related allegations, the Muhammadu Buhari’s administration of which he was a key official, often came under fire for intentionally concealing the identities of suspected high-profile terrorism financiers

In May 2021, Mr Malami, as the AGF, publicly announced that investigations had revealed many highly placed Nigerians and businessmen involved in financing terrorism.

He said the “strongly” suspected financiers were already being profiled for prosecution.

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Mr Malami also warned that no one involved in the crime would be spared.

“We shall certainly and aggressively pursue those people that are involved in terrorist financing as far as the Nigerian State is concerned,” he said.

But throughout the life of the Buhari administration, Mr Malami resisted public pressure to reveal the identities of the arrested terrorism financiers.

The then-minister said public disclosure of the suspects’ identities would not be done until their prosecution and conviction. But the promised prosecution of the suspects was not publicly known to have taken place and their identities remained a secret till the administration’s tenure came to an end in May 2023.

The allegations levelled against Mr Malami in Sahara Reporters’ story came amid ripples of his recent questioning by the EFCC over allegations of mismanagement of recovered national funds, including parts of the Abacha loot.

He was invited on 28 November and later released on administrative bail. Mr Malami denied the allegations and has not been charged with any crime regarding the EFCC investigation yet.

‘I,m champion of legal reform not terrorism financing’

Spotlighting his record in office, Malami cited his role in strengthening Nigeria’s anti-money laundering (AML) and counter-terrorism financing (CFT) framework.

“We similarly worked on the passage and implementation of the Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022, which strengthened Nigeria’s legal regime against terrorism, updated offences and penalties, and reinforced provisions dealing specifically with the financing of terrorism in line with international standards and United Nations obligations.

“These reforms…formed part of the body of work later assessed by the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) and contributed to Nigeria’s eventual removal from the FATF ‘grey list’ of jurisdictions under increased monitoring,” he stated.

He stressed that engagement with a wide range of individuals and entities is a normal part of public office and does not imply criminal involvement.

Mr Malami also urged responsible reporting on national security issues, reaffirming his commitment to the rule of law, strengthening justice and security institutions, and protecting his legal rights against misrepresentation.

“Independent international evaluation of that nature is entirely inconsistent with any suggestion that those leading such reforms were, at the same time, colluding with or protecting terror financiers,” he said, referring to an international assessment confirming Nigeria’s compliance with global AML/CFT standards.

Mr Malami also stressed that engagement with a wide range of individuals and entities is a normal part of public office and does not imply criminal involvement.

He urged responsible reporting on national security issues to avoid damaging reputations and undermining public confidence in state institutions.

He added by reaffirming his commitment to the rule of law, strengthening Nigeria’s justice and security institutions, and protecting his legal rights against publications that misrepresent his role in combating money laundering and terrorism financing.