Malami Supporters Decry Prolonged Detention

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By Junaidu Sani

The Malami Support Organisation (MSO) has condemned the continued detention of the former Minister of Justice and Attorney General of the Federation, Abubakar Chika Malami, SAN, describing it as a serious test of the integrity of Nigeria’s justice system.

The Director of Strategy and Communication of the MSO, Mallam Saidu Atiku Abubakar, made this known while addressing members of the organisation at its office in Birnin Kebbi.

He stated that the organisation views the arrest and prolonged detention of Abubakar Malami, SAN, as a disturbing development that raises fundamental concerns about due process, constitutional safeguards, and respect for the rule of law.

According to him, “Nigeria is a constitutional democracy governed by the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended), not by executive impulse, administrative convenience, or political vendetta.”

He further explained that the Constitution is explicit on the protection of individual rights. “Section 35(1) guarantees the right to personal liberty, permitting deprivation of liberty only in clearly defined circumstances and strictly in accordance with procedures permitted by law,” he said.

Abubakar added that “Section 36(1) guarantees the right to fair hearing, requiring that any allegation of wrongdoing be determined by a court or tribunal established by law, and not through executive pressure or media trial. Section 36(5) entrenches the presumption of innocence, providing that every person charged with a criminal offence shall be presumed innocent until proven guilty.”

He warned that any deviation from these provisions,whether justified under the guise of anti-corruption, national interest, or political expediency,amounts not to accountability, but to a direct assault on constitutional order.

“From all observable indicators, the arrest and detention of Abubakar Malami, SAN, bear the hallmarks of selective enforcement rather than impartial justice,” he said.

He argued that when state institutions are deployed aggressively against perceived political opponents while individuals aligned with the ruling establishment appear shielded from similar scrutiny, the credibility of law enforcement and anti-corruption mechanisms is severely undermined.

Abubakar noted that Section 17(2)(a) of the Constitution mandates that governance shall be founded on social justice and equality before the law, stressing that selective justice violates this principle and replaces the rule of law with the rule of power.

He said the MSO is gravely concerned about what it described as the growing normalisation of “weaponised accountability” under the APC-led federal government.

He said,“a system where justice is applied unevenly does not strengthen democracy; it corrodes it from within. A war on corruption that exempts the powerful is not reform,it is institutional deception,”

He emphasized that the issue goes beyond the personality of Abubakar Malami, SAN.

“The real question confronting Nigeria is whether the country will continue to be governed by law or gradually slide into governance by fear, intimidation, and coercion. History teaches that when constitutional violations go unchallenged, silence becomes complicity,” he said.

Abubakar referenced Section 14(2)(b) of the Constitution, which states that the security and welfare of the people shall be the primary purpose of government, not the persecution of political dissent or intimidation of perceived rivals.

On this note, the Malami Support Organisation reaffirmed its unwavering commitment to constitutionalism, the rule of law, and democratic accountability.

“Political intimidation cannot arrest destiny, nor can coercive power suppress the legitimate aspirations of the people indefinitely,” he said.

He warned that when institutions are manipulated, processes subverted, power abused, and citizens’ rights denied, the government itself risks collapse.

Consequently, the MSO called for strict adherence to due process and constitutional procedures by all law enforcement and security agencies, in line with Sections 35 and 36 of the Constitution.

The organisation also urged heightened vigilance by civil society organisations, the Nigerian Bar Association, human rights groups, and pro-democracy advocates in defending constitutional norms. It further called for the attention and scrutiny of international human rights bodies and diplomatic missions over what it described as a dangerous pattern of selective justice and political intimidation in Nigeria.

The organisation urged its members to remain calm, law-abiding, resolute, and committed to defending the Constitution through principled, peaceful, and democratic engagement.

By Junaidu Sani