The Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, says he is not related to the new Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Abdulrasheed Bawa.
In an exclusive interview with Daily Trust, Malami denied being related to the EFCC boss, adding that Bawa is competent and has the ability to lead the anti-graft agency forward.
He also denied reports that he singlehandedly picked Bawa to be the chairman of the EFFC due to his relationship with him.
Recall that the chairman of the Presidential Advisory Committee against Corruption (PACAC), Itse Sagay, and some notable Nigerians have faulted the fact that Malami and Bawa come from the same state, insinuating that both might even be related.
“I noticed that they both come from the same state of Kebbi and they may even be related.
“For me, that is not a very healthy thing because the chairman of the EFCC and the EFCC are supposed to be independent.
“They are not politicians, they are trained security officers. The attorney-general is a politician who has all the weaknesses and loads of a politician.
“He has people he is obliged to. He has people who are close to him. Some of them may be criminals who might have committed crimes. In fact, some of them may deliberately do things because they think they know the attorney-general.
“So, in such a situation, if Bawa is related to the attorney-general, then there will be a problem because he will not be able to do his job freely because the attorney-general will certainly interfere.
“He has already indicated his tendency to interfere in both the EFCC and the ICPC with the regulations he purported to make months ago. So, I am not comfortable at all that the possibility that they might be related,” Sagay had said.
