Court Admits Malami, Wife, Son to N500m Bail Each.
By Bala Salihu Dawakin Kudu
January 7, 2026.
The Federal High Court sitting in Abuja on Wednesday admitted former Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF), Mr Abubakar Malami, SAN, his wife, Hajia Bashir Asabe, and their son, Abubakar Abdulaziz, to bail in the sum of N500 million each, following their arraignment on money laundering-related charges preferred against them by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
Ruling on their bail applications, Justice Emeka Nwite held that the EFCC failed to place sufficient and concrete materials before the court to justify the continued detention of the defendants. The judge ruled that bail was a constitutional right and should not be denied on speculative grounds.
Justice Nwite, however, imposed stringent conditions. Each defendant is to produce two sureties in the like sum of N500 million, who must be verified property owners in Asokoro, Maitama or Gwarimpa districts of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT). The court ordered that the title documents of the properties be verified by the Deputy Registrar (Litigation) of the court.
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The court further directed the defendants to deposit all international passports with the court and barred them from travelling outside Nigeria without prior court approval. Both the defendants and their sureties are also required to submit two recent passport photographs each, while the residential addresses of the sureties must be verified by the court registrar.
Pending the perfection of the bail conditions, Justice Nwite ordered that Malami remain at the Kuje Correctional Centre, while his wife and son are to be held at the Suleja Correctional Centre.
The case was adjourned to February 17, 2026, for the commencement of trial.
The EFCC had arraigned Malami, his wife, his son, and an employee of a company allegedly linked to the former minister, Rahamaniyya Properties Ltd, on a 16-count charge bordering on money laundering and concealment of proceeds of unlawful activities.
According to the anti-graft agency, the defendants allegedly carried out a series of suspicious financial transactions and property acquisitions across Abuja, Kano and Kebbi States, involving several billions of naira, between 2015 and 2025—a period that covers Malami’s eight-year tenure as AGF under the administration of late President Muhammadu Buhari.
The EFCC alleged that the defendants conspired to disguise the origin of funds through multiple bank accounts, corporate entities, and high-value property purchases, in violation of the Money Laundering (Prohibition and Prevention) Acts of 2011 (as amended) and 2022.
Among the allegations are claims that over N1 billion and N600 million were concealed through Sterling Bank accounts linked to Metropolitan Auto Tech Limited; N500 million was allegedly disguised to purchase a luxury duplex in Maitama; and several other properties in Maitama, Asokoro, Garki, Jabi and Gwarimpa were allegedly acquired with illicit funds.
The EFCC also accused the defendants of retaining large sums as cash collateral for bank loans and funnelling funds through companies such as Meethaq Hotels Ltd, Rayhaan Hotels Ltd, and Hamonia Hotels Ltd.
The commission disclosed plans to call several witnesses, including EFCC investigators, bank officials, Bureau de Change operators and financial experts. Key witnesses listed include Folarin Dare, Chinedu Eneanya, Sani Lukeman, Abdulrahman Musa Basheer, as well as representatives of Zenith Bank Plc and Sterling Bank Plc.
The prosecution said the witnesses would testify on how intelligence reports and petitions allegedly linked Malami to what it described as “monumental corruption” and the use of proxy companies to acquire properties.
Summary for Print Media
The Federal High Court in Abuja has granted former Attorney-General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami, SAN, his wife, and son bail of N500 million each over alleged money laundering charges. Justice Emeka Nwite ruled that the EFCC failed to provide sufficient grounds to deny bail but imposed strict conditions, including property-owning sureties, passport surrender, and travel restrictions.
The defendants face 16 counts involving alleged concealment of billions of naira through bank accounts and property acquisitions across Abuja, Kano and Kebbi between 2015 and 2025. Trial is scheduled to commence on February 17, 2026.
(DEMOCRACY NEWSLINE NEWSPAPER, JANUARY 7TH 2026)
