The detention saga involving former Minister of Justice and Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF), Abubakar Malami (SAN), has intensified, with the former AGF now accusing the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) of deliberately denying him the opportunity to perfect his bail conditions.
In a statement issued on Sunday by his media aide, Muhammed Bello Doka, Malami described the administrative bail conditions set by the EFCC as “stringent and hard to meet.”
Malami’s camp rejected the EFCC’s narrative that the former minister has denied himself bail by failing to meet the prescribed conditions.
Doka argued that the conditions – which reportedly require federal permanent secretaries as sureties – are intentionally designed to be unattainable.
“Such conditions are intentionally used by EFCC to prolong his detention at the same time saying he refused bail. From the onset, Malami was ready to comply with the bail, but the commission denied him the opportunity to do so,” Doka stated.
He further suggested that demanding a federal permanent secretary as a surety for an individual under investigation by the government is practically impossible.
Doka emphasized Malami’s status as a law-abiding citizen who has never attempted to evade investigation, insisting that any statements suggesting otherwise originated from the commission, not the former minister.
Malami’s camp urged the EFCC to abandon what they term a media strategy of saying he refused bail and instead to “be holistic and bring forward attainable bail conditions that he can meet.”