Businessman denies extorting N500m from Malami

From: Femi Oyelola, Kaduna

A Northern social critic and businessman, Malami Shehu Mahdi has denied allegations of extorting five hundred million Naira from the immediate past Attorney General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami.
This was contained in a letter by the Law firm of ABUBAKAR MUSTAPHA & ASSOCIATES, SOLICITORS Counsel to the Businessman.
The statement stated that Shehu Mahdi was allegedly arrested on the orders of the immediate Attorney General of the Federation, and his lawyers called for his immediate release from detention.
The statement added that social critic, activist, non-commercial whistleblower and successful businessman was arrested and detained in Abuja by the Inspector-General of Police (IGP) Monitoring Unit ostensibly on a petition written by A. A. MALAMI, SAN & CO. (the law firm of the immediate past Attorney-General of the Federation) for and on behalf of ABUBAKAR MALAMI, SAN the said immediate past AGF and his family.”
However, the Police claimed to have arrested Muhammad Madhi Shehu in his hotel room in Abuja based on a tip by ABUBAKAR MALAMI, SAN relating to an alleged WhatsApp chat between him and MADHI SHEHU claiming that the latter attempted to extort N500,000,000.00 (five hundred million naira) from him. ”
“The said allegation by MALAMI, SAN and the arrest of our Client, MAHDI SHEHU is coming just a day after he made a tweet on X (formerly Twitter) accusing some prominent members of the Government of former PRESIDENT MOHAMMED BUHARI from the North of sponsoring a campaign of calumny against OBAZEE, the Special Investigator appointed by PRESIDENT BOLA TINUBU to investigate the affairs of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) under the leadership of GODWIN EMEFIELE in a recent Report in the Daily Trust Newspaper.”
” MAHDI SHEHU had also in the past few months made publications very critical of some prominent members of the Government of former PRESIDENT MOHAMMED BUHARI especially MALAMI, SAN and specifically called for his arrest and prosecution.”
“The arrest and detention of our Client may therefore not be unconnected with concerted efforts by MALAMI, SAN and other prominent members of the Government of former PRESIDENT MOHAMMED BUHARI accused by MAHDI SHEHU to deal with him for having the temerity to dare them publicly and to silence and put him away from circulation for a long time. ”