A Federal High Court in Abuja has set January 7 as the date for hearing Abubakar Malami’s bail plea because he is suspected of money laundering. Malami was previously Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice.
Channels TV says that Malami is being held at Kuje Prison.
On trial are the Senior Advocate of Nigeria, his son Abdulaziz, and one of his wives, Bashir Asabe. The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has brought 16 counts of charges against them.
The three people were charged with laundering ₦8.7 billion, but they pleaded not guilty when they were brought to court on December 29, 2025.
After they pleaded not guilty, Justice Emeka Nwite sent them to the Kuje Correctional Center to stay there until January 2, 2026. That’s when his legal team would explain their written bail application.
The charge against them was FHC/ABJ/CR/700/2025, and it said that they planned to hide, mask, and keep money they got from doing illegal things.
According to the charge, they got the illegal money through a series of bank accounts, businesses, and high-value real estate deals that happened over the course of almost ten years.
According to the charge sheet, the crimes happened mostly in Abuja, which is in the Federal Capital Territory, between 2015 and 2025, when Malami was the Attorney-General of the country.
On July 20, 2022, to June 20, 2025, the EFCC said Malami and his son used Metropolitan Auto Tech Limited to hide N1.014 billion in a Sterling Bank account.
They were also charged with putting down an extra ₦600 million between September 2020 and February 2021.
Three homes were bought: a luxury duplex on Amazon Street in Maitama for ₦500 million; a home on Onitsha Crescent in Garki for ₦700 million; and a home in the Jabi District for ₦850 million.
The company also bought land on Rhine Street in Maitama for ₦430 million, in the Asokoro District for ₦210 million and ₦325 million, and at Efab Estate in Gwarimpa for ₦120 million.
According to the EFCC, Malami also bought several homes in Abuja, Kano, and Birnin Kebbi between 2018 and 2023 with ₦952 million that he got illegally.
It is said that the purchases were made through proxies and corporate companies to hide who owned the businesses.
According to the Commission, the acts in question are against the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2011 (as amended) and the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.
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