Malami’s malady, by Chris Adetayo

The story of Abubakar Malami, immediate past Attorney-General, is cautionary. For 8 years, he was untouchable. His word was law. He did as he pleased. With his connivance, a Chief Justice was unceremoniously removed from office through a code of conduct tribunal whose Chairman was not fit to carry the bag of the CJN. He permitted semblance of State Police (Hisbah) in the North and tried to prevent same (Amotekun) in the South. He gave legal backing to several infractions – financial, civil rights etc.

Once Buhari left office, the new AG,
Lateef Fagbemi, seemed to find many troubling stuff that his predecessor did. But Buhari must not be messed up by the lieutenants he worked with. So instead of inviting Malami to come and explain himself, Fagbemi will journey to Daura, file in hand, to “report” to Buhari. Pictures will be taken and shared. A day after, Malami will show up in Buhari’s house to “explain” himself. Pictures will also be taken and shared. The relay race continued even after Buhari moved to Kaduna.

Then Buhari died. With no middle man in between, the AG no longer has any inhibition to haul Malami to directly face his own investigators. So the former AG is now the special guest of the current AG and the EFCC.

But the former is not having any of it. He’s screaming rule of law, natural justice, and bias. The funniest is the accusation of “Media Trial”. One would think that it is the EFCC that is issuing daily statements and updates to the media on his case. Whereas he’s the one seeking to make it a media matter.

It is instructive that no one seems bothered. Not even his primary constituency, the Bar. The NBA has kept a studious silence. His home state, Kebbi, has also shown no sympathy. Even the usually verbose ACF has yet to come to his rescue.

Lesson: No condition is permanent. Powerful today, powerless tomorrow!!