Former Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, SAN, has broken his silence on allegations linking him to terrorist financing, dismissing the allegations as baseless, misleading and politically motivated.
In a statement issued Friday, Malami said he was forced to respond after a post suggested he and several others had connections to people described as terrorist suspects or suspected financiers.
Malami described the accusations as “baseless, unfair and contrary to both my record in public office and objective facts.”
‘I was never investigated’ – Malami The former minister emphasized that he had never been accused, invited, questioned or investigated by any security, law enforcement or intelligence agency within or outside Nigeria for terrorist financing or any related crime.
He said: “I clearly and unequivocally declare that at no time have I been accused, invited, questioned, investigated or charged by any security, law enforcement, regulatory or intelligence agency, within or outside Nigeria, with respect to the financing of terrorism or any related offence.”
Malami noted that even the retired military officer cited as the publication’s primary source admitted that he did not accuse Malami or the other individuals of financing terrorism, but merely made vague reference to “commercial” or “institutional” connections allegedly linked to some suspects.
He said the post misrepresented this clarification and was politically exploited to create harmful insinuations about him.
Malami warned that normal professional or institutional commitments should not be misinterpreted as evidence of support for terrorism.
“To suggest that legal professional or institutional commitments can be interpreted as evidence of terrorist financing is both malicious and unfair,” he said.
Highlighting his record, Malami listed several anti-money laundering and anti-terrorism reforms spearheaded during his tenure, including:
Establishment of the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU) as an independent entity
Promulgation of the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022
Promulgation of the Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022
He noted that improved inter-agency coordination under these laws contributed to Nigeria’s removal from the gray list of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF).
“During my tenure, I worked to strengthen, not weaken, Nigeria’s legal and institutional framework against money laundering and terrorist financing,” he said.
Malami urged media outlets to exercise caution when reporting on sensitive national security issues, warning that careless publications can damage reputations and undermine trust in state institutions.
It reaffirmed its commitment to the rule of law and Nigeria’s international obligations, adding that it reserves the right to seek redress against any publication that misrepresents its role in combating the financing of terrorism.