Abubakar Malami, Nigeria’s former attorney general and minister of justice, will spend the New Year in custody after a federal high court in Abuja ordered his remand over allegations of large-scale money laundering involving billions of naira.
Justice Emeka Nwite on Tuesday directed that Malami be held at the Kuje correctional centre alongside two co-defendants — his son, Abubakar Abdulaziz Malami, and one of his wives, Asabe Bashir — pending the hearing of their bail application fixed for 2 January 2026.
The trio were arraigned by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on 16 counts bordering on conspiracy and money laundering. All three pleaded not guilty.
According to prosecutors, the defendants conspired at various times to “conceal, retain and disguise proceeds of unlawful activities” amounting to several billions of naira. The alleged scheme is said to have involved the use of multiple companies and bank accounts, the retention of large sums of cash as collateral for loans, and the acquisition of high-value properties in Abuja, Kano and other locations.
The EFCC further alleged that some of the offences were committed while Malami was serving as attorney general of the federation, in violation of Nigeria’s money laundering laws, including the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act 2011 and the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act 2022.
Following the defendants’ not-guilty pleas, the EFCC’s lead counsel, Ekele Iheneacho, asked the court for a trial date and requested time to respond to the bail application, saying he had only received it that day.
Defence counsel Joseph Daudu urged the court to grant bail orally, arguing that the offences were bailable and that the defendants posed no flight risk.
“These are run-of-the-mill allegations of money laundering. The defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty,” Daudu said, adding that Malami’s long public service made it implausible that he would abscond. “There is nowhere to hide for a goldfish. He has more to lose and he is not contemplating abscondment.”
Daudu also appealed to the court to consider the timing of the remand, urging that the defendants should not be incarcerated over the New Year.
The prosecution opposed the oral application, citing provisions of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act that require bail applications during trial to be supported by affidavit evidence. “Submissions of counsel, no matter how eloquent, cannot replace evidence,” Iheneacho said.
He added that Malami’s former status should not weigh in his favour. “The fact that the first defendant held a very high office does not constitute a factor for granting bail. Rather than mitigating the situation, the involvement of the first defendant aggravates it,” he told the court, urging the judge to consider the public interest in what he described as serious economic crimes involving complex financial networks.
In his ruling, Justice Nwite declined to entertain the oral bail request, saying it would amount to an ambush. He adjourned the case to 2 January for the hearing of the bail application and ordered that all three defendants be remanded at the Kuje correctional centre pending that date.
“In the interest of justice, the defendants are to be remanded at the Kuje correctional centre pending the hearing of the bail application,” the judge said.
