In 2015, when Abubakar Malami SAN, was appointed as Minister of Justice and Attorney-General of the Federation, it was practically impossible to foresee that he will spearhead the Buhari-led administration’s drive to recover stolen wealth stashed in local and foreign accounts, record landslide victories in international court cases that have continued to drain the nation’s resources and plummet Nigeria’s ranking as a difficult terrain to do business.
In Buhari’s first term in office, the AGF publicly led the frontal assault on criminal minds and intervened to bring closure in litigations that pitched the country against certain individuals. His modus operandi is one devoid of noisemaking, hoopla and the regular media charade without substance. Without Malami’s firmness, Nigerians may never have known about the recently repatriated funds hidden in foreign bank accounts and efforts are currently being intensified to recover more money to the nation’s treasury. Additionally, properties acquired in highbrow areas of Abuja and Lagos with stolen funds were speedily recovered. Money laundering and operation of several accounts with illicit wealth were tackled head-on by the untiring AGF in collaboration with the anti-graft agencies.
Unfortunately, this has been Malami’s albatross. The burden and expectation of his office in the face of criticism to do right by all Nigerians at the expense of a selected few. Like many other allegations that have been disproved in the past, the recent invasion of Justice Odili’s home and the linking of the office of the Attorney-General is another desperate propaganda taken too far.