Operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS) have arrested a former Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, over fresh allegations bordering on terrorism financing.
Sources in the secret police said Malami was taken into custody on Monday shortly after his release from the Kuje Correctional Centre, Abuja, where he had been remanded over money laundering charges.
According to security sources, DSS operatives picked him up immediately after he exited the facility.
Officials of the Nigerian Correctional Service confirmed that Malami was released after perfecting his bail conditions.
Efforts to obtain official comments from the DSS were unsuccessful as of the time of filing this report.
Malami’s release followed the granting of bail on January 7, 2026, by Justice Emeka Nwite of the Federal High Court, Abuja. The court granted bail to Malami, his wife and his son in the sum of ₦500 million each, with strict conditions.
Each defendant was ordered to produce two sureties with verifiable landed property within Asokoro, Maitama or Gwarimpa, deposit the property documents with the court and submit affidavits of means.
They were also directed to surrender their international passports and barred from travelling abroad without prior permission of the court.
Malami, his wife Asabe and his son had been remanded at Kuje following their arraignment by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on December 29, 2025, on 16 counts bordering on money laundering involving about ₦8.7 billion.
The EFCC alleged that the defendants used multiple corporate entities, bank accounts and high-value real estate transactions to conceal proceeds of unlawful activities.
Amid his legal battle with the anti-graft agency, Malami had accused the Chairman of the EFCC, Ola Olukoyede, of bias and conflict of interest and called for his recusal from all matters relating to him.
In a statement issued by his media aide, Mohammed Bello, Malami described the EFCC chairman’s continued involvement in the case as “legally untenable, morally indefensible and constitutionally impermissible,” citing Chapter 9 of the Justice Ayo Salami Judicial Commission of Inquiry Report.
The statement noted that while serving as Attorney-General, Malami supervised the establishment of the Justice Ayo Salami Judicial Commission of Inquiry to investigate allegations of corruption and abuse of office within the EFCC, adding that the current EFCC chairman served as secretary to the commission at the time.
It further said Chapter 9 of the Salami Report addressed the conduct and responsibilities of senior EFCC officials and created what it described as “personal and professional exposure” for certain individuals now exercising prosecutorial authority over Malami.
Responding to the allegations, EFCC Chairman Ola Olukoyede said the agency’s operations are not targeted at members of the opposition and that investigations are conducted irrespective of political affiliation.
Olukoyede stated this in an exclusive interview with Channels Television, noting that the EFCC’s investigation of Malami is not politically motivated.
“Let me tell you about that particular former attorney-general that you are talking about — there is nothing personal in this matter. If Nigeria is to move forward, all of us must agree that this fight must be fought without being partisan,” he said on the programme Sunday Politics aired on January 11.
“So now I want to tell Nigerians that the investigation of this man predated me in office, and a lot of people don’t know that. Yes, I edited the investigation file. What I did was to ensure that the investigation was carried out in a very professional and thorough manner,” Olukoyede added.
