The Federal High Court in Abuja has today, Friday the 2nd of January, commenced the hearing on the bail application for the former Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, SAN.
The erstwhile Chief Law Officer of the Federation remains in custody at the Kuje Correctional Centre alongside his son, Abdulaziz, and his wife, Bashir Asabe. The trio faces a formidable 16-count indictment brought by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), revolving around the alleged laundering of funds totaling approximately ₦8.7 billion.
The current judicial impasse follows the defendants’ appearance on the 29th of December, 2025, where they entered pleas of “not guilty” to all charges. Presiding Justice Emeka Nwite subsequently ordered their remand pending this morning’s hearing.
The prosecution’s case, meticulously detailed in charge sheet FHC/ABJ/CR/700/2025, alleges a sophisticated web of corporate entities, bank accounts, and high-end real estate used to obscure the provenance of illicit capital.
The EFCC’s allegations span a period between July 2022 and June 2025, detailing several significant financial manoeuvres:
- Corporate Concealment: The procurement of Metropolitan Auto Tech Limited to allegedly mask the origin of over ₦1.01 billion, with a further ₦600 million transacted through associated Sterling Bank accounts.
- Maitama Luxury Acquisition: The use of ₦500 million, allegedly disguised through Rahamaniyya Properties Limited, for the purchase of a palatial duplex on Amazon Street, Maitama.
- Hospitality Interests: The purported laundering of ₦1.04 billion through Meethaq Hotels Limited between 2022 and 2024.
- Direct Control: Allegations that Malami and his son exerted indirect control over ₦1.36 billion deemed to be the proceeds of unlawful activities.
Perhaps most damming are the counts relating to Mr. Malami’s tenure as Attorney General. The prosecution asserts that he concealed ₦700 million used to acquire property at Onitsha Crescent, Garki, and a further ₦850 million for a secondary acquisition in the Jabi District.
The EFCC informed the court that its investigators have traced forty-one properties, with a staggering cumulative valuation of ₦212 billion, to the former Minister and his associates. These assets are now central to a prosecution founded upon the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act of 2022.
As the arguments for bail are canvassed today, the nation awaits the court’s determination on whether the former Justice Minister himself once the custodian of the Nigerian legal system will be granted liberty pending the determination of the substantive trial.
