Court remand Abubakar Malami for Kuje prison ontop money laundering charges

Former Attorney General of di Federation and Minister of Justice Abubakar Malami go spend di New Year for prison as court remand am sake of corruption allegations.

Di EFCC dey prosecute Malami, im son Abubakar Malami Jnr, and one oda female defendant Bashir Asabe, on top 16-count charges of money laundering and abuse of office.

According to di charges, Malami bin use in office as AGF to tiff money wey e come use buy plenty properties like land, residential buildings and hotels, for different parts of Nigeria including Abuja, Kebbi and Kano States.

Di three defendants plead not guilty to di charges.

Justice Emeka Nwite who be di trial judge for di mata rule say make dem detain di defendants for Kuje correctional facility pending wen e go rule on dia bail application.

Malami na minister under late Muhammadu Buhari time as president.

Wetin happun for court

Afta di defendants plead not guilty, di EFCC lawyer Ekene Iheanacho (SAN) tell di court say di defence team bin serve dem bail application on Monday, so dem go need time to respond.

For di meantime, Iheanacho ask di judge make e remand di defendants for prison until.

Joseph Daodu wey be lawyer to Malami beg di court make e grant im clients bail sake of say di charges dey bailable, and accused person remain innocent until proven guilty.

Daodu also tok say Malami bin don hold very high ranking office for Nigerian so e no go fit run or jump bail.

Di defence counsel also inform di court say di EFCC bin don grant Malami administrative bail, only to detain am wen e return to honour dia invitation on 8 December, 2025. Also di second and third defendants don dey for EFCC custody since 23 December, and dem be “family unit”.

Daodu beg di court say di three defendants don dey for detention enuf so make di court grant am bail and fix date for trial to start.

But di prosecution counsel Iheanacho challenge di defence team and insist make di defendants dey remanded for prison custody.

Delivering im ruling, Justice Nwite say since di defence counsel don already file bail application and di prosecution don receive am, di right tin to do na to allow di prosecution time to respond accordingly.

Nwite say if e grant di defendant bail now based on di oral application by di defence counsel, e go take away di right of di prosecution to respond to process wey di defence don already serve on dem.

“Dis mata is hereby adjourned to 2 January, 2026 for hearing of di bail application. Di first and third defendants go dey remanded for Kuje correctional facility while di second defendant go dey remanded for Suleja correctional facility,” Justice Nwite tok.

Di charges against Malami

For count one, di EFCC claim say Malami and im son, betwin July 2022 and June 2025, bin buy one company “Metropoltan Auto Tech Limited”, to take hide di unlawful origin of more dan one billion naira wey dem suppose know say di money bin come from unlawful activities.

Di offence dey contrary to Section 21(c) of the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act 2022 and punishable under Section 18(3) of the same Act.

Count two tok say Malami and im son also buy di Metropoltan Auto Tech Limited to take hide di unlawful origin of anoda sum of ova N600 million.

For count three, EFCC allege say Malami bin use one company - Rahamaniyya Properties Limited - to hide di N500 million wey e bin pay for one luxury duplex for Amazon Street, Maitama, Abuja for November 2022.

Also, di three defendants dey accused of hiding di origin of anoda moni wey pass one billion naira for September 2024, through di Union Bank account of one Meethaq Hotels Ltd Jabi, Abuja.

For anoda count, Malami, im son and Bashir Asabe bin join bodi to hide di sum of N700 million for one property for No. 3 Onitsha Crescent, Garki, Abuja, and anoda N850 million for anoda property for Plot 683, Jabi District, Abuja.

For February 2018, Malami bin also allegedly buy anoda property for No. 3 Rhine Street, Maitama, Abuja, wey di price na N430 million and for di same month, dem hide buy anoda property for No. 3130, Cadastral Zone A04, Asokoro, Abuja, and di price na N210 million.

Oda property dem allege say Malami and im co-defendants buy wit money wey di former AGF allegedly tiff na: