Court Orders Remand of Ex-AGF Malami, Son, Others in Kuje Prison
By Oladejo Eriyimika
The Federal High Court in Abuja has ordered the remand of the immediate past Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mr Abubakar Malami, SAN, alongside his son, Abdulaziz Malami, and a co-defendant, Hajia Bashir Asabe, at the Kuje Correctional Centre.
The order was made on Tuesday following their arraignment on a 16-count charge bordering on alleged money laundering involving billions of naira.
Trial judge, Justice Emeka Nwike, ruled that the defendants should remain in custody until January 2, 2026, when their formal bail applications would be heard and determined.
The court declined an oral application for bail presented by the defence team led by Mr J. B. Daudu, SAN, stressing that the prosecution must first be allowed to respond formally.
Justice Nwike noted that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), which is prosecuting the case, had opposed the oral bail request and was entitled to file a counter-affidavit before the court could properly consider the matter.
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Alleged N9bn Money Laundering Scheme
The defendants are accused of laundering public funds estimated at about N9 billion, allegedly in violation of Section 15(2)(d) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2011, as amended, an offence punishable under Section 15(3) of the Act.
According to the EFCC, Malami allegedly used proceeds of unlawful activities to acquire high-value properties located in Abuja, Kebbi State, Kano and other parts of the country.
The anti-graft agency further alleged that between July 2022 and June 2025, the defendants utilised a company, Metropolitan Auto Tech Limited, to conceal more than N1.01 billion in a Sterling Bank account.
They were also accused of using the same firm to launder an additional N600 million between September 2020 and February 2021.
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Cash Collateral And Property Transactions
The EFCC told the court that the defendants, in March 2021, allegedly retained N600 million as cash collateral for a N500 million loan secured by Rayhaan Hotels Limited from Sterling Bank, despite allegedly knowing that the funds were proceeds of criminal activity.
In one of the counts read in court, the prosecution alleged that Malami and his son knowingly procured Metropolitan Auto Tech Limited to conceal the unlawful origin of over N1.014 billion, contrary to provisions of the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.
Other charges allege that while serving as Attorney-General of the Federation, Malami and his son concealed the origin of over N600 million through the same company, in breach of the Money Laundering Prohibition Act, 2011, as amended.
The EFCC also accused the defendants, alongside Hajia Bashir Asabe, an employee of Rahamaniyya Properties Limited, of disguising the origin of N500 million allegedly paid to Efab Properties Limited for the purchase of a luxury duplex located on Amazon Street, Plot 3011, Cadastral Zone A06, Maitama District, Abuja.
According to the prosecution, the defendants reasonably ought to have known that the funds used for the transaction were proceeds of unlawful activities, thereby committing offences under the relevant provisions of the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.
The case has been adjourned to January 2, 2026, for the hearing of bail applications, while the defendants remain in custody at the Kuje Correctional Centre.