Nigerian legislative lawyers, below the aegis of Affiliation of Legislative Drafting and Advocacy Practitioners, ALDRAP, have requested the Financial and Monetary Crimes Fee, EFCC, to disqualify the Director-Normal of the Legal Aid Council from standing as surety for former Legal professional Normal of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, SAN.
A Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Excessive Courtroom, had on Tuesday granted interim bail to Malami, who’s being detained bf the EFCC over an ongoing investigation into alleged corruption.
Justice Bello Kawu granted Malami bail on the identical phrases earlier thought-about by the EFCC, together with the give up of his worldwide passport and the execution of bail bonds by two sureties.
The sureties embrace the Director-Normal of the Nigerian Legal Aid Council and a serving member of the Home of Representatives representing the Augie/Argungu Federal Constituency.
Nonetheless, in a letter dated December 24, 2025, and addressed to the EFCC chairman, ALDRAP stated the DG of the Legal Aid Council ought to be disqualified from standing as surety for Malami.
The letter is titled ‘Request for software of the Administration of Legal Justice Act, 2015, for the disqualification of the Director-Normal of the Legal Aid Council of Nigeria as one of many two sureties for former Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, due to his 0% rating within the 2024 anti-corruption index of the Impartial Corrupt Practices and Associated Offences Fee (ICPC)’.
The letter, signed by ALDRAP Secretary, Dr. Tonye Clinton Jaja, was made accessible to journalists on Wednesday.
The legislative lawyers affiliation famous that the the DG of the Legal Aid Council just isn’t match and correct to stand as surety for Malami due to the company’s failure to adjust to the ICPC ethics and integrity index.
Elements of the letter learn, “By the use of re-introduction our Affiliation of Legislative Drafting and Advocacy Practitioners, ALDRAP, is integrated below the Firms and Allied Issues Act, 2020 within the yr 2017.
“We be sure that each people and establishments adjust to the provisions of the Structure of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999, and different related legal guidelines.
“We write to request the disqualification of the Director-Normal of the Legal Aid Council of Nigeria who has submitted himself as one of many sureties for bail of Abubakar Malami.
“The reason being as a result of he fails to meet the standards for sureties as set out below Part 167(1) of the Administration of Legal Justice Act, 2015.
“You may confirm this by cross-checking with the Chairman of the ICPC who has simply printed a listing of federal authorities companies that scored zero p.c within the anti-corruption index of the yr 2024.
“The Legal Aid Council of Nigeria which is presently headed by the stated Director-Normal is listed amongst the Federal Authorities companies that scored zero p.c (0%).
“The implication is that such an individual who refused to adjust to the ICPC anti-corruption index just isn’t match and correct to stand as surety for Malami who’s himself present process investigation and prosecution for corruption.”
