Malami refused bail, remanded in custody

A Federal High Court in Abuja has refused the bail applications by former Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami (SAN), and two others accused of money laundering.

Justice Emeka Nwite rejected the application on Tuesday to enable the prosecution reply formally.

He ordered the remand of Malami, his son, Abdulaziz Malami, and one Hajia Bashir Asabe, a staff of Rahamaniyya Properties Ltd, at the Nigerian Correctional Service Centre in Kuje, FCT.

Earlier, prosecution counsel, Kelechi Ekele (SAN), opposed the bail application brought by defence counsel, Joseph Daudu (SAN), as an ambush that could not be replied orally in court.

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) had alleged that Malami, his son and Asabe, allegedly conspired to conceal the illicit origin of property scattered in choice areas of Abuja, Kebbi and Kano states.

However, the defendants pleaded not guilty to the allegations.

In the charges, Malami was alleged to have, between July 2022 and June 2025 procured Metropolitan Auto Tech Ltd to conceal the unlawful origin of the sum of N1,014,848,500 in the Sterling Bank PLC account number 0079182387, and used the same company to conceal the unlawful origin of the total sum of N600,013,460.4 in the same bank account.

Malami was further alleged to have, in March 2021, used the deposited sum as collateral for N500m loan to Rahaan Hotels Ltd from the bank.

The federal government also accused Malami and the others of, sometime in November 2022, indirectly disguising the unlawful origin of the sum of N500m paid to Efab Properties Ltd for the purchase of luxury duplex at Amazon Street Plot 3011 within Cadastral Zone A06 Maitama District, Abuja.

The defendants were further alleged to have, sometime September 2024, conspired to disguise the unlawful origin 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.

The Malamis were alleged to have, between November 2022 and October 2025, taken control of the sum of N1,362,887,872.96 paid through the savings account of Meethaq Hotels Limited in Union Bank Plc, while alongside Asabe Bashir, Malami allegedly concealed the unlawful origin of the sum of N700m paid for the purchase of the property described as No. 3 Onitsha Crescent Area 11, Garki Abuja (Hamonia Hotels Ltd).

Between September 2020 and December 2020, the defendants were alleged to have conspired to conceal the sum of N850,000,000.00 paid for the purchase of property described as Plot 683 Jabi District Cadastral Zone B04 (Meethaq Hotels Ltd, Jabi), while earlier in February 2018, they allegedly acquired No. 3 Rhine Street Maitama, Abuja (Meethaq Hotels Ltd) for an aggregate sum of N430m.

Furthermore, the defendants were alleged to have, between March and June 2021 concealed the unlawful origin of N325m for the purchase of property No. 1241B Asokoro District Zone (No. 11A Yakubu Gowon Crescent Asokoro), while between November 2015 and January 2016, they allegedly concealed the unlawful origin of N120m for the purchase of property described as No. 27 Efab Estate 5th Avenue, 59th Crescent, Gwarimpa, Abuja.

The federal government alleged that the defendants, sometime in November 2022, concealed the unlawful origin of the fund for the purchase of property known as luxury duplex at Amazon Street, Plot No. 3011 within Cadastral Zone A06 Maitama District, Abuja; acquired landed properties indirectly between December, 2016 and April, 2022; and between June and January 2023, indirectly concealed the unlawful origin of the aggregate sum N537m for payment of properties namely (i) No. 26 Babbi Street, BUA Estate, Abuja, (ii) 4 bedroom Bungalow, Guesse 2 Brinin- Kebbi and (iii) No. 4 Ahmadu Bello Way, Kano, Nassarawa GRA, Kano.

The federal government also alleged that between October 2018 and December 2021, the defendants concealed the sum of N415m for the purchase of properties namely (i) No. 28 Bagudu Kaltio crescent Gwarimpa, Abuja (ii) Plot 13, Ipent 7 Estate Abuja and (iii) A Plaza, Commercial Toilets, Laundry and Warehouse Tanks Adjacent to Brinin Kebbi Market (iv) 100 hectares of land Along Brinin Kebbi, Jeba Road (v) Plot 157 Lamido Crescent, Nassarawa Road GRA, Kano.

According the prosecution, the offences breach sections 15(2) (a) (3) and 18(3) of the Money Laundering Act 2004.

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