The Minister of Justice and Attorney‐General of the Federation, Abubakar Chika Malami (SAN)
By Our Reporter
A group known as Kebbi Development Union has kicked against the recent attacks on the Minister of Justice and Attorney‐General of the Federation, Abubakar Chika Malami (SAN), saying that the attacks are gearing towards discrediting President Muhammadu Buhari’s government.
This was contained in a press statement issued by the group recently, which was signed by its Chairman, Usman Ibrahim Mayaki .
The statement read in part,” It has come to our notice that some politicians in Kebbi State that have been recycling themselves in government since 1999, have teamed up with the publisher of an on‐line publication, Sahara Reporters, Mr. Omoyele Sowore, to discredit the good government of President Muhammadu Buhari, by attacking the Minister of Justice and Attorney‐General of the Federation, Abubakar Chika Malami (SAN), an indigene of Kebbi State.
“The group consists of stooges of the past corrupt military administrations and their counterparts in the civil services that retired and joined politics when the chips were down in 1999. This group, popularly known in the state as ‘Kebbi Mafia,’ wants to perpetuate itself in government, both at state and at the national level, so that no son or daughter of the state comes to prominence in government without its approval. “
The group claimed that the grievances of the ‘Kebbi Mafia’ against Malami was that he did not pass through them before he rose to the position he handles presently, as such needs to go down.
“This group of wandering politicians that has meandered from the ANPP to PDP to ACN, is now on its way to back to PDP, and decided to dent the good image of President Buhari’s government by labeling his Minister of Justice and Attorney‐General, who is on the forefront of the government’s agenda of fighting corruption, as corrupt; and there is no better way of doing that, than to involve Mr. Sowore, a disgruntled politician based in the United States America
The group accused ‘Kebbi Mafia’ for sponsoring attacks on Malami, as it did to some ministers in the government, like ministers of Niger Delta and that of Communication and Digital Economy respectively, by cataloguing his properties in so many SaharaReporters publications and branding him corrupt, for the Mafia to use in concocting a petition for Malami’s suspension to the president, using a misguided member of Kebbi Concerned Citizens (KCC), one Ibrahim Mohammed, who signed the petition published in some media outlets, including SaharaReporters. This claimed that the petition has since been rebutted by leaders of the KCC.
“The rebuttal, signed by Muhammed Nasir Karofi, a founding member, member of the five‐man Board of Directors and pioneer Director General of the KCC, disclosed that he, Karofi, has “not been consulted, I have diligently confirmed from two other Directors,(names withheld for now) if they have been consulted or if there have been any mandate given to the signatory of the purported letter Mohammed Ibrahim and the duo expressly denied being any privy to the letter.”
The group maintained that Malami has since written to the president stating the aforementioned properties were acquired by him long before he became a minister and they had been stated in his Code of Conduct forms when he was appointed into public office.
According the statement, “One reason forwarded by many in the state for the action of the Mafia against Malami, is that the minister refused to do their bidding, especially with regards to their EFCC cases, while others with immunity fear their encounter with the EFCC as per their ugly deeds in office when their tenure expired. Therefore, we the good people of Kebbi State are solidly behind our illustrious son, Abubakar Chika Malami (SAN) and we appeal to His Excellency President Muhammadu Buhari not to pay heed to the selfish interest of these disgruntled politicians, and carry on his agenda of fighting corruption with Abubakar Chika Malami (SAN) at the forefront as the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice. Thank You Usman Ibrahim Mayaki Chairman,” the statement concluded.
