Manny Ita
Abuja- A Federal High Court sitting in Abuja on Wednesday, January 7, 2026, granted bail to the former Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, SAN, alongside his wife, Hajia Bashir Asabe, and his son, Abubakar Abdulaziz Malami. The defendants are currently facing a 16-count charge initiated by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission involving the alleged laundering of ₦8,713,923,759.49.
Justice Emeka Nwite, while presiding over the matter, ruled that the offenses are bailable under Nigerian law and set the bail at ₦500 million for each defendant with two sureties in like sum. The court stipulated that these sureties must be responsible citizens who own landed property within high-brow areas of the Federal Capital Territory, such as Maitama, Asokoro, or Wuse, and must deposit the corresponding title documents with the court. Furthermore, all three defendants are required to surrender their international passports and are strictly prohibited from traveling outside the country without express judicial permission.
The charges, marked FHC/ABJ/CR/700/2025, detail an intricate web of financial transactions allegedly conducted between 2015 and 2025 to conceal illicit funds. The prosecution alleges the use of corporate entities, including Metropolitan Auto Tech Limited and Meethaq Hotels Limited, to launder sums exceeding ₦1 billion and the acquisition of luxury real estate across Abuja, Kano, and Kebbi State. While the current trial pertains to approximately ₦8.7 billion, investigators have reportedly linked properties valued at over ₦212 billion to the former minister.
Malami, who served as the nation’s chief law officer from 2015 to 2023, was first arraigned on December 30, 2025, where he and his family entered not guilty pleas. The period leading up to the bail hearing saw the defendants detained at the Kuje Correctional Centre amid reports of a jurisdictional clash between commission operatives and correctional officials over the custody of the high-profile suspects. Following the bail ruling, the court adjourned the matter until February 17, 2026, for the commencement of the full trial.
