Malami: I’d gladly testify against Magu if summoned by Salami panel

Abubakar Malami, attorney-general of the federation (AGF), says he will “gladly” testify before the presidential panel investigating Ibrahim Magu, suspended chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

The AGF said he would appear before the panel if summoned in line with the Buhari administration’s respect for the rule of law.

Magu is being investigated by the panel, headed by Ayo Salami, retired president of the appeal court, over allegations of corruption which Malami levelled against him.

The AGF had accused him of “not acting in the overall best interest of the country and the policies of this administration due to its mismanagement and lack of transparency in managing recovered assets” among other allegations.

Last week, Wahab Shittu, Magu’s counsel, wrote to the presidential panel asking it to summon Malami to prove the allegations he accused his client of.

Speaking during an Arise TV programme on Wednesday, the AGF said he is willing to be examined by the panel.

“If indeed the Ayo Salami panel invites Abubakar Malami as a person or the AGF in the person of Abubakar Malami for any testimony, for any clarification, for examination or cross-examination for that matter, Abubakar Malami will wholeheartedly, gladly within the spirit and context of the rule of law be there to testify, be there to be cross-examined, be there to be examined within the context of the rule of law,” he said.

“Our position as a government is to be submissive to the rule of law and the rule of law component of it requires that when we are called upon to clarify issues, when we are called upon to be examined, when we are called upon to be cross-examined, Abubakar Malami will be there and will gladly cooperate with the inquiry institution and that indeed was an attribute of the government that translated to the victory we are seeing today arising from P&ID.”

He added that he has responded to summons by various panels in similar investigations, and so, “the case of Salami will certainly not be an exception”.