Minister of Justice and Attorney-General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami(SAN) has said he did not have any hand in the raid conducted by the Department of State Services (DSS) in the residence of Yoruba nation activist, Chief Sunday Adeyemo fondly called Sunday Igboho, in the early hours of July 1, 2021, in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital.
Besides, Malami said the DSS did not inform him before carrying out the raid, adding that he is not a Fulani man as alleged by Igboho.
The submissions were contained in an affidavit, deposed to on August 18, 2021 by one Thomas Etah, who is a civil servant at the Federal Ministry of Justice Headquarters, Abuja. The affidavit was filed before Justice Ladiran Akintola of the Oyo State High Court sitting in Ibadan, in the case of fundamental human rights filed by Igboho, through his lawyer, Chief Yomi Alliyu (SAN), over invasion of his house, during which two persons were killed, 12 persons arrested and taken to Abuja and multi-million naira property were purportedly damaged.
Etah, in the affidavit, said Malami, who is the first respondent in the case with number M/435/2021, “is conversant with the facts deposed herein.” The case was instituted by Igboho, against the trio of AGF as first respondent, DSS as second respondent, and Director of DSS in Oyo State as third respondent.
The affidavit read in part: “That I have the consent and authority of the 1st Respondent and that of Maimuna Lami Shiru (Mrs), Simon Enock, Abdullahi Abubakar and Elodimuo Ekene (Esq) the counsel in chambers assigned to conduct the defence on behalf of the 1st Respondent (Malami) to depose to this Counter-Affidavit.”
He stated that Malami is not a security officer and he did not participate in the commission of the acts, being complained of or came back to Abuja and assumed the role of a judge or conducted any media trial. He stated further that Malami “did not approach any bank or financial institution in Nigeria or anywhere else in the world to block and/or place no debit on the account of the applicant (Igboho).”
