Court sends ex-AGF Malami, son to Kuje prison 48 hours to New Year

The Federal High Court sitting in Abuja on Tuesday ordered the remand of a former Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami (SAN), at the Kuje Correctional Centre, following his arraignment on multiple money laundering charges.

Justice Emeka Nwite issued the remand order after listening to arguments and submissions from both the defence and the prosecution.

The defence team was led by Joseph Daudu (SAN), while the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) was represented by Ekele Iheneacho.

Malami and his co-defendants are facing a 16-count charge bordering on money laundering, preferred against them by the EFCC. The former minister personally appeared in court alongside two co-defendants—his son and one of his wives, Bashir Asabe—who were also arraigned in the matter.

According to the anti-graft agency, the defendants allegedly engaged in a series of complex financial transactions aimed at concealing the origin of illicit funds running into billions of naira. The EFCC alleged that the funds were laundered through multiple bank accounts and invested in high-value properties located in Abuja, Kano, and Kebbi States.

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The commission told the court that the alleged offences were committed between 2015 and 2025, a period that largely coincides with Malami’s eight-year tenure as Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice under the administration of the late President Muhammadu Buhari.

In its charge, the EFCC alleged that investigations uncovered an extensive asset acquisition trail linked to the former minister. According to the agency, Malami is alleged to have acquired 41 properties spread across Kebbi, Kano, and Abuja during the period under review.

The properties, the EFCC said, include hotels, schools, factories, and residential buildings, with an estimated cumulative value of about ₦212.89 billion. The prosecution maintains that the scale and pattern of the acquisitions were inconsistent with Malami’s known lawful income and suggested proceeds of unlawful activities.

During proceedings, defence counsel urged the court to exercise its discretion in favour of the defendants, while the prosecution opposed any request that could hinder ongoing investigations or the trial process, arguing that the charges were serious and well-founded.

Justice Nwite, after considering the submissions of both parties, ordered that Malami be remanded at the Kuje Correctional Centre, pending further proceedings in the case. The court is expected to fix a date for the hearing of bail applications and the continuation of the trial.

The arraignment marks a significant development in the EFCC’s ongoing high-profile prosecutions and adds to a growing list of former public office holders facing corruption-related charges after leaving office.