Malami denies terror-financing links, says claims contradict record on Nigeria’s AML/CFT reforms

By Kunle Sanni –

Former Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, has rejected what he described as misleading insinuations linking him to terrorism financing, insisting that he has never been investigated or questioned by any local or international agency over such allegations.

In a statement issued on Friday, Malami said his attention was drawn to a recent publication that mentioned his name alongside individuals described as alleged terror financiers.

He said the report created “politically motivated insinuations” despite the fact that its own cited source — a retired military officer — admitted he was not accusing Malami or anyone else of funding terrorism.

According to Malami, the publication relied on vague descriptions of “business” or “institutional” interactions, which were then framed in a manner capable of misleading the public.

“Any attempt to associate an individual with terrorism financing must be grounded in verifiable facts, due process, and lawful findings, not conjecture or guilt by association,” he said.

Malami argued that his work as Attorney-General directly counters any suggestion of complicity in terrorism financing.

He highlighted several reforms undertaken during his tenure to strengthen Nigeria’s Anti-Money Laundering and Countering the Financing of Terrorism (AML/CFT) framework.

These include the establishment of an independent Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU) and the enactment of the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act 2022 and the Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act 2022.