The immediate past Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, SAN, has denied the allegation of corruption leveled against him by former President Olusegun Obasanjo while labeling such allegation as a baseless claim.
Obasanjo, in his newly released book, ‘Nigeria: Past and Future’ alleged that corruption rose to the peak during the administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari, adding that Malami was a strong supporter of such practices.
Obasanjo further affirmed that during Buhari’s administration, two former governors—Joshua Dariye of Plateau State, who was serving a 10-year sentence for embezzling N1.126bn state funds, and Jolly Nyame of Taraba State—who was serving a 12-year sentence for embezzling N1.64bn. Fraud was granted presidential pardons.
The Council of State presided over by Buhari in April 2022, granted the duo pardons on the grounds of age and ill health.
Both governors were released from Kuje Correctional Facility in the Federal Capital Territory in August 2022, four months after their pardons.
Obasanjo, however, alleged that the pardons were possible owing to the corrupt advice of Malami, adding that it was later revealed that neither Dariye nor Nyame had life-threatening illnesses, as initially claimed.
Reacting to this, Malami dismissed the allegation in an exclusive interview with newsmen, explaining that the process of granting pardons was strictly regulated by law.
He said that his role as Attorney General was limited to presenting the committee’s report to the Council of State.
Malami criticized the growing trend of unsubstantiated corruption allegations against public officials, both locally and internationally, calling for detailed and evidence-based claims to ensure credibility.
The former Minister of Justice explained that for any allegation of corruption or bribery to hold weight, adequate details must be provided.
He added that allegations lacking adequate particulars remain baseless, mischievous, and devoid of actionable grounds for legal pursuit.