DSS Arraigns Malami, Son Over Alleged Terrorism Financing, Illegal Firearms Possession.
By Bala Salihu Dawakin Kudu
Democracy Newsline
February 3, 2026.
In a development that has sent ripples through Nigeria’s legal and political landscape, the Department of State Services (DSS) on Tuesday arraigned a former Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami (SAN), alongside his son, Abdulaziz Abubakar Malami, before the Federal High Court sitting in Abuja over alleged terrorism-related offences and unlawful possession of firearms.
The defendants were docked on a five-count charge bordering on alleged terrorism financing, failure to prosecute suspected terrorism financiers, and illegal possession of firearms and ammunition, contrary to the Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022 and the Firearms Act, 2004.
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According to the charge sheet filed by the DSS, Malami is accused of knowingly abetting terrorism financing during his tenure as the nation’s chief law officer. The security agency alleged that sometime in November 2022, while serving at the Federal Ministry of Justice in Maitama, Abuja, the former AGF deliberately refused to prosecute suspected terrorism financiers whose case files were officially submitted to his office for legal action.
The prosecution maintained that such refusal amounted to aiding and abetting terrorism financing, an offence punishable under Section 26(2) of the Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.
In counts two to five, Malami and his son were jointly accused of engaging in conduct preparatory to committing acts of terrorism by allegedly warehousing firearms and ammunition without lawful authority at their residence in Gesse Phase II Area, Birnin Kebbi Local Government Area of Kebbi State.
The DSS alleged that during a search conducted in December 2025, operatives recovered a Sturm Magnum 17-0101 firearm, 16 Redstar AAA 5’20 live rounds of cartridges, and 27 expended Redstar AAA 5’20 cartridges from the residence.
The offences, according to the prosecution, contravene Section 29 of the Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022, as well as Sections 3 and 8(1) of the Firearms Act, 2004, and are punishable under Section 27(1) of the same Act.
When the charges were read in open court, both Abubakar Malami and his son pleaded not guilty to all five counts.
Following their plea, the prosecuting counsel, Calistus Eze, urged the court to remand the defendants in the custody of the DSS and to fix an early date for the commencement of trial, citing the gravity of the allegations and the nature of the offences.
In response, counsel to the defendants, Shuaibu Aruwan (SAN), made an oral application for bail, arguing that the defendants had already spent over two weeks in DSS custody and were entitled to bail pending trial.
However, the presiding judge, Justice Joyce Abdulmalik, rejected the oral application, stressing that the Federal High Court is a court of record and that such an application must be brought formally.
Justice Abdulmalik consequently ordered the defence team to file a proper bail application and directed that both defendants be remanded in the custody of the DSS.
The court adjourned the matter to February 20, 2026, for the commencement of trial, marking the beginning of what is expected to be a closely watched legal battle involving one of Nigeria’s most prominent former justice ministers.
The arraignment underscores the DSS’s renewed push to enforce anti-terrorism and firearms laws and signals a significant moment in the ongoing national discourse on accountability, national security, and the rule of law.
(DEMOCRACY NEWSLINE NEWSPAPER, FEBRUARY 3RD 2026)
