Solomon Dalung, a former minister of youth and sports development, has questioned the Federal Government about the trial of Abubakar Malami, a former minister of justice and attorney general of the Federation, and why the former minister has not been charged with the crimes of terrorism financiers.
In response to Malami’s ongoing trial before the Federal High Court in Abuja, Dalung voiced the worry in an interview with Trust TV that was released on Wednesday.
“After hearing the charges against the former Attorney General, I realized that he was charged with refusing to prosecute terrorist financiers,” Dalung stated.
He maintained that in addition to Malami, the federal authorities ought to bring charges against others who allegedly provided funding for terrorism.
“We must arraign and prosecute the nation’s terrorist funders. He questioned, “So, Senior Advocate Malami is arraigned for refusing to prosecute. Where are the lists of financiers?”
Dalung questioned the earlier list of terror financiers that was given to succeeding administrations.
“Where are the financiers on the list that General Tchiani of Chad (sic) released to this government and that President Muhammadu Buhari received from the United Arab Emirate?” he said.
Malami shouldn’t be in front of the court by himself, he insisted.
“Why is Malami the only one we have? “We ought to have arraigned Malami with the financiers,” Dalung said.
Additionally, he questioned why Malami’s son was arraigned with him.
He went on, “And I’m tempted to ask, so his son is arraigned alongside his father because he also refused to advise his father to prosecute the financiers?”
The Department of State Services (DSS) arraigned Malami on Tuesday before the Federal High Court in Abuja on a five-count indictment that included illegal firearm possession and terrorism financing.
Alongside his son Abdulaziz, the former Attorney General was docked.
As the Attorney-General of the Federation, Malami was accused by the DSS of intentionally aiding and abetting terrorism financing in count one of the allegation by declining to prosecute suspected terrorism financiers whose case files were turned over to his office.
“That you, Abubakar Malami of Gesse Phase II Area, Birnin Kebbi LGA, Kebbi State, adult, male, sometime in November 2022 at Federal Ministry of Justice, Maitama, Abuja, within the jurisdiction of this court, did knowingly abet terrorism financing by refusing to prosecute terrorism financiers whose case files were brought to your office as the Attorney-General of the Federation, for prosecution, and thereby committed an offense that is punishable under Section 26(2) of the Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.”
Malami and his son entered not guilty pleas to the accusations.
The defense attorney, Mr. S. Alua, SAN, filed an oral bail application, while the prosecution attorney, Dr. C. Eze, requested that the court remand the defendants in the DSS’s custody until the trial began.
Justice Joyce Abdulmalik, the trial judge, rejected the oral request, stating that a proper written application must be submitted and that the court uses records.
She therefore ordered the defendants to stay in the DSS’s custody and postponed the matter until February 20 for the hearing of the bail application and the start of the trial.
