Seized Oil Vessels: Ex-AGF, Malami may be arrested in few weeks as ICPC probes corruption allegation

There are strong indications that the former Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami may be arrested in few weeks from now as the Independent Corrupt Practices and other related offences Commission (ICPC), commences investigation into seized oil vessels in which he is an accused.

A source told CAPITAL POST in Kano that the former AGF who doubles as President Muhammadu Buhari’s inlaw was fingered in the multi-billion dollar seized oil vessels in which he has to answer questions at the anti-graft agency.

It was learnt penultimate week, that the investigation has since commenced by the ICPC and it is being closed-in on Malami.
Also, an internal memo dated July 19, 2023, by the Petition Registrar at the ICPC, H.S. Folaranmi, on behalf the ICPC Chairman, Prof Bolaji Owasanoye, in response to a petition filed by the Human and Environmental Development Agenda (HEDA), accusing the former AGF of corruption and high-handedness indicated that the agency is all out to investigate and prosecute culprits in the seized oil vessels saga.

HEDA’s petition has since been acknowledged by the ICPC and in response to the petitioner, the ICPC vowed to unravel the circumstances surrounding the seized oil vessels with Abubakar Malami at the centre of the of the investigation.

HEDA, writing the ICPC through its Chairman, Olanrewaju Suraju, in its July 10, 2023 petition sighted by our correspondence, had said, referenced a number of allegations against Malami.

“Below are but a few of several corruption allegations against Mr. Abubakar Malami: On the 2nd day of May 2022, it was widely reported by various news outlets that the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice; Abubakar Malami SAN distributed 30 car gifts worth over N1,000,000,000 to his supporters in Kebbi state.

“The car gifts included 14 Mercedes Benz, eight Prado SUVs, four Toyota Hilux and four Lexus LX. Beneficiaries of the car gifts, as reported by PremiumTimes, were social media influencers, executive members of Mr Malami’s foundation and women support groups.

“Two, illegal auctioning of sea vessels holding crude oil seized by the Federal Government, violating Section 31(2) and (4) of the EFCC Act 2004 and assuming the role conferred on the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission as reported by TheCable Newspaper on the 13th July, 2020. The AGF also authorised the sale of these vessels by companies under EFCC prosecution for similar offence of illegal bunkering and this action was admitted by the AGF through his Media Assistant pleading presumption of innocence on the part of the accused, in a case being prosecuted by the Federal Government through the EFCC.”

The group also referenced “alleged duplicity of payment of $16.9m fees to two friends as new lawyers for the recovery of the loot traced to a former Nigerian Head of State, Sani Abacha, after a Swiss lawyer, Enrico Monfrini, hired and fully paid by the previous government, to help in the recovery had completed his brief as reported by PremiumTimes on the 10th of April, 2018.”