Alleged N9bn Fraud: Court Remands Ex-AGF Malami, Son, a Lady in Kuje Prison

• To hear bail application January 2

Alex Enumah in Abuja

Justice Emeka Nwite of the Federal High Court, Abuja, on Tuesday ordered the remand of former Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, SAN, at Kuje Correctional Centre, Abuja, pending the hearing of his bail application.

Nwite made the order shortly after Malami, his son, Abdulaziz Malami, and an employee of Rahamaniyya Properties Limited, Hajia Asabe Bashir, were arraigned on a 16-count criminal charge by Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

Although they pleaded not guilty to the entire counts and their lawyers moved an oral application for their bail, the court declined to take the oral application on the grounds that it would amount to denying the prosecution the right to fair hearing.

According to the judge, there is evidence of a written application for bail, which was served on the prosecution on Tuesday in court, and the prosecution by law needs time to respond to the written application just served on it.

Nwite explained that the court could not on its own withdraw the written application because the defendants, through their lawyers, moved an oral application for their bail.

He stated that hearing and granting the oral application would amount to ambushing the prosecution, who had the right to respond to the written application already served on it.

He subsequently adjourned till January 2, for hearing in the bail application.

Malami, Abdulaziz, and Bashir are accused of conspiracy and concealment of proceeds of unlawful activities running into billions of naira.

The defendants were said to have committed the alleged offences between November 2015 and June 2025.

Malami, who was Minister of Justice under former President Muhammadu Buhari, has been in custody of the anti-graft agency since December 8, following his failure to meet his bail conditions.

The defendants would be arraigned at the Federal High Court, Abuja, shortly after the assigning of the suit to a judge.

The commission, in the suit filed by Mr. Jibrin Okutepa, SAN, claimed the funds allegedly acquired unlawfully were used for the purchase of luxury properties in Abuja, Kebbi, Kano, and other locations.

In count one, Malami and his son were said to have between July 2022 and June 2025, “procured METROPOLITAN AUTO TECH LIMITED to conceal the unlawful origin of the total sum of N1, 014, 848, 500.00 in the Sterling Bank Plc Account No. 0079182387, when they reasonably ought to have known that the said sum formed proceeds of unlawful activities and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 21(c) of the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act 2022 and punishable under Section 18(3) of the same Act”.

Malami and his son were in count two alleged to have procured the same METROPOLITAN AUTO TECH LIMITED to conceal the unlawful origin of another sum of over N600 million.

In another count, they were alleged to have, in November 2022, used Rahamaniyya Properties Limited to conceal N500 million paid for a luxury duplex at Amazon Street, Maitama, Abuja.

In count five the trio were alleged to have sometimes in September 2024, conspired to disguise the unlawful origin of the aggregate sum of N1, 049, 173, 926. 13 paid through the Union Bank Plc account of Meethaq Hotels Ltd, Jabi, savings Account No. 0179011105 between November 2022 and September 2024.

In count six, they were accused of indirectly taking control of the aggregate sum of N1, 362, 887, 872.96, paid through the savings account of Meethaq Hotels Ltd in Union Bank Plc, when they “reasonably ought to have known that the said funds formed proceeds of unlawful activity and you thereby committed an offence contrary to section 18(2) (d) and punishable under section 18(3) of the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022”.

In another count, Malami, his son, and Bashir were also charged with concealing the sum of N700 million paid for a property at No. 3 Onitsha Crescent, Garki, Abuja, and N850 million for another property at Plot 683, Jabi District, Abuja.

Similarly, the three defendants were said to have in February 2018 acquired No. 3 Rhine Street, Maitama, Abuja, for N430 million and in the same month concealed N210 million for No. 3130, Cadastral Zone A04, Asokoro, Abuja.

They were also charged with concealing N325 million for No. 1241B, Asokoro District, between March and June 2021, and N120 million for No. 27 Efab Estate, Gwarimpa, Abuja, between November 2015 and January 2016.