The Human and Environmental Development Agenda (HEDA), a civil society and anti-corruption organisation, has submitted a fresh petition to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), calling for a deeper investigation into the activities of former Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami.
The petition, dated December 23, 2025, was addressed to the Chairman of the EFCC, Ola Olukoyede. It was signed by HEDA’s Chairman, Olanrewaju Suraju. In the document, the group accused Malami of alleged corruption and financial mismanagement during his time as Minister of Justice.
This is not the first time HEDA has raised concerns about Malami’s tenure. The organisation had earlier submitted a petition against him on September 11, 2023. According to HEDA, the new petition is based on additional evidence, including audit reports, investigative findings, and reports from legislative probes that were not available at the time of the earlier submission.
The latest petition comes at a time when Malami is already facing criminal charges, with his arraignment reportedly scheduled for January. HEDA said this makes it even more important for all allegations linked to his time in office to be fully investigated.
Abubakar Malami served as Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice from 2015 to 2023 under the administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari. As the country’s chief law officer, he was responsible for legal advice to the government, prosecution of federal cases, and oversight of the Ministry of Justice. His office also played a key role in the management of public funds related to legal settlements, judgment debts, and other legal obligations of the federal government.
In its petition, HEDA said its submission was based on findings from the Office of the Auditor-General of the Federation. The group claimed that an audit report indicted the Ministry of Justice for the mismanagement of N113.2 million in 2019. According to the petition, the funds were allegedly spent without proper documentation and without following public finance rules.
HEDA also alleged that another audit revealed that billions of naira were spent by the ministry in 2017 without proper oversight. One of the major concerns raised was the alleged payment of N10.4 billion as judgment debts. The group claimed that these payments were made without clear approval processes or proper checks, raising questions about transparency and accountability.
Judgment debts are payments made by the government following court judgments against it. In the past, judgment debts have been a major source of controversy in Nigeria, with several cases of fake or inflated claims reported. Because of this history, payments related to judgment debts are expected to follow strict procedures.
The petition further mentioned payments of N32.5 million for foreign travel allowances that allegedly lacked mandatory approvals. HEDA claimed that such payments did not meet the required standards set by government financial regulations.
Another serious allegation in the petition is the claim that 68 payment vouchers totaling N71.19 billion were not available for audit verification. According to HEDA, the absence of these vouchers makes it difficult to confirm how the funds were spent and whether due process was followed.
HEDA also referred to a probe by the Senate Public Accounts Committee. The group said the committee investigated an alleged N2.2 billion collected by the Ministry of Justice from Service Wide Votes between 2017 and 2021. Service Wide Votes are funds set aside for special government needs and emergencies. According to HEDA, lawmakers found that the funds were not properly accounted for.
In addition, the petition accused the former justice minister of approving or allowing the spending of N8 billion on prison decongestion programmes without transparency or clear results. Prison decongestion efforts are meant to reduce overcrowding in correctional centres, often by speeding up trials, granting bail, or releasing inmates who have served most of their sentences. HEDA claimed there was no clear evidence to show how the N8 billion was used or whether the programme achieved its goals.
One of the most serious allegations in the petition relates to the non-enforcement of a 2018 Supreme Court judgment under the Deep Offshore and Inland Basin Production Sharing Contract Act. HEDA claimed that the failure to enforce the judgment denied Nigeria over $55 billion in revenue that should have gone into the Federation Account.
The Deep Offshore Act governs how oil revenues from offshore drilling are shared between the government and oil companies. In 2018, the Supreme Court ruled that certain agreements needed to be reviewed to increase government revenue. HEDA alleged that the deliberate delay or refusal to enforce this judgment caused huge financial losses to the country.
According to the group, these alleged actions amount to violations of several laws. These include the EFCC Act, the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Act, the Public Procurement Act, the Fiscal Responsibility Act, and Nigeria’s Financial Regulations. HEDA argued that these laws are meant to ensure transparency, accountability, and proper use of public funds.
HEDA urged the EFCC to expand its ongoing investigation into Malami to include the new allegations raised in the petition. The group also called on the anti-graft agency to recover any funds found to have been misappropriated and to prosecute all individuals found guilty, regardless of their status.
“The scale of these allegations shows the need for a thorough and transparent investigation,” HEDA said in its petition. The organisation added that holding public officials accountable is important for restoring public trust and strengthening Nigeria’s fight against corruption.
The EFCC has not yet made a public statement on the latest petition. However, the agency has repeatedly said it is committed to investigating corruption cases and bringing offenders to justice.
Malami has previously denied wrongdoing in response to past allegations related to his time in office. It remains to be seen how he or his representatives will respond to the new claims raised by HEDA.