“Legal Aid Council DG Faces Disqualification As Malami’s Bail Guarantor”.

According to Nivo News, Nigerian legislative lawyers under the Association of Legislative Drafting and Advocacy Practitioners (ALDRAP) have requested that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) disqualify the Director-General of the Legal Aid Council from acting as a surety for former Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, SAN.....KINDLY READ THE FULL STORY HERE▶

The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court had recently granted Malami interim bail while he remains in EFCC custody over an ongoing investigation into alleged corruption. Justice Bello Kawu approved the bail on terms previously outlined by the EFCC, including the surrender of Malami’s international passport and the provision of two sureties: the Director-General of the Legal Aid Council and a serving member of the House of Representatives representing Augie/Argungu Federal Constituency.

In a letter dated December 24, 2025, addressed to the EFCC chairman, ALDRAP argued that the Legal Aid Council DG is unfit to serve as a surety. The association cited the 2024 anti-corruption index released by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Related Offences Commission (ICPC), in which the Legal Aid Council scored zero percent.

The correspondence, signed by ALDRAP Secretary Dr. Tonye Clinton Jaja, stressed that the DG fails to meet the requirements for bail sureties under Section 167(1) of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act, 2015. ALDRAP emphasized that the DG’s agency’s refusal to comply with ICPC ethics and integrity standards undermines his suitability as a guarantor for Malami, who is currently under investigation and prosecution for alleged corruption.