A legal practitioner, Tonye Jaja, has dragged former Attorney-General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami, and five others before the Federal High Court in Abuja, alleging unlawful removal from office and violations of his fundamental rights.
In the suit marked FHC/ABJ/CS/125/2026, Jaja is seeking N1 trillion in damages, a public apology in two national dailies, and other declaratory reliefs.
The respondents include Malami; former Solicitor-General of the Federation, Dayo Apata; the Office of the Attorney-General of the Federation; the Nigeria Police Force (NPF); and the Department of State Services (DSS).
Jaja was appointed Chairman of the Governing Board of the Nigerian Copyright Commission (NCC) on May 13, 2019, for a four-year tenure. He claimed he was removed without any query or fair hearing, a decision formalised via a letter dated October 15, 2020, signed by Apata.
“The 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th respondents sacked the applicant… without giving the applicant opportunity to be heard,” Jaja told the court.
According to court documents, Jaja had filed a formal complaint against the Director-General of the Copyright Commission and submitted it directly to Malami.
He claimed that instead of acting on the complaint, Malami and other respondents orchestrated his removal, allegedly spending ₦2 million on a televised announcement of the sack.
The suit also details claims of harassment by security agencies. Jaja said some police officers invited him at the behest of Malami.
Upon honouring the invitation, the officers allegedly told him, “They have seen that his hands are clean… but the 1st respondent paid them to deal with and torment the applicant.”
He also alleged DSS involvement, stating that, “The DSS told him it was the 1st respondent that instructed them to deal with him… but they later told him to go as they found him innocent.”
Jaja said he wrote to the President seeking reinstatement but received no response. He added that others, including the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (OSGF), the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) Garki Branch, and senior lawyers, also made appeals, but to no avail.
Jaja further claimed he had assisted the EFCC in exposing Malami and one Mr Ubani, which allegedly led to their “scheming” against him.
He is now asking the court to declare his removal unconstitutional, award him ₦1 trillion in damages, order a public apology and approve ₦5 million as the cost of litigation
The court is yet to set a date for the hearing.
Meanwhile, Malami is currently facing money laundering charges alongside his wife and son in a separate case.