Tag: EFCC

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) is set to arraign Abubakar Malami, SAN, former Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, before the Federal High Court in Abuja on Tuesday. Malami is expected to face Justice Emeka Nwite, where he will enter a plea alongside his co-defendants. The prosecution will be led by Chief J. S. Okutepa, SAN. According to the charge sheet obtained by Channels Television, the EFCC has filed a 16-count charge against Malami, his son Abubakar Abdulaziz Malami, and associate Hajia Bashir Asabe. The charges include large-scale money laundering and illegal acquisition of assets valued at over N8.7 billion. The case, filed as FHC/ABJ/CR/700/2025, alleges that the defendants conspired to conceal, disguise, and retain proceeds from unlawful activities. The commission claims that the funds were moved through multiple bank accounts, corporate entities, and high-value real estate transactions over a period of nearly ten years, primarily between 2015 and 2025, during Malami’s tenure as Attorney-General. The EFCC alleges that Malami and his son used Metropolitan Auto Tech Limited to hide N1.014 billion in a Sterling Bank account from July 2022 to June 2025 and deposited an additional N600.01 million between September 2020 and February 2021. They are also accused of holding N600 million in cash as collateral for a N500 million loan taken by Rayhaan Hotels Ltd, with the commission asserting that the funds were proceeds of illegal activities. Further allegations include controlling N1.36 billion via the Union Bank account of Meethaq Hotels Ltd between November 2022 and October 2025, which the EFCC says was acquired unlawfully. Several counts also relate to the purchase of high-end properties in Abuja and other locations to conceal the origin of the funds. Reported acquisitions include: A luxury duplex on Amazon Street, Maitama (N500 million) Property on Onitsha Crescent, Garki (N700 million) Property in Jabi District (N850 million) Real estate on Rhine Street, Maitama (N430 million) Properties in Asokoro District (N210 million and N325 million) Property at Efab Estate, Gwarimpa (N120 million) The EFCC claims that Malami also used N952 million in illicit funds to acquire multiple properties in Abuja, Kano, and Birnin Kebbi between 2018 and 2023, often through proxies and corporate entities to obscure ownership. Hajia Bashir Asabe, reportedly an employee of Rahamaniyya Properties Ltd, is said to have facilitated these transactions on Malami’s behalf. The commission maintains that the alleged actions violate the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2011 (as amended) and the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022. A list of witnesses, including investigators, bank officials, bureau de change operators, and company representatives, has been submitted to support the case.

A High Court in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, has dismissed a bail application by former Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, who is currently in the custody of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission. Justice Babangida Hassan, presiding over the case, ruled on Thursday that Malami’s detention is lawful and supported by a valid court order. Meanwhile, former South-East spokesperson to President Bola Tinubu, Denge Josef Onoh, has urged Malami to cooperate with the EFCC investigation instead of demanding the recusal of its chairman. Speaking from Paris, France, Onoh responded to Malami’s call for EFCC Chairman Ola Olukoyede to step aside from the probe, citing alleged conflicts linked to the Justice Ayo Salami Judicial Commission of Inquiry Report. He argued that the report does not prevent the EFCC from investigating former public officials and emphasized that requests for recusal must adhere strictly to the law and principles of fairness. Onoh stressed that the EFCC operates under statutory authority to investigate economic and financial crimes without bias, noting that the Salami Panel was intended to strengthen accountability, not provide immunity for any individual. He also highlighted Malami’s past actions as Attorney-General, including overseeing high-profile prosecutions widely criticized as politically motivated, which involved defiance of court orders and prolonged detentions. “It is the height of hypocrisy for former AGF Abubakar Malami to now accuse the EFCC of ‘personal vendetta’ when he himself led a campaign to remove former EFCC Acting Chairman Ibrahim Magu in 2020,” Onoh said. He recalled that Malami drafted memos to then-President Muhammadu Buhari levelling over 22 allegations against Magu, including diversion of recovered funds and gross misconduct, and refused to appear before the Salami Panel, denying Magu the chance to confront his accuser. Critics described this as a “grudge war” leveraging Malami’s influence. Onoh added that Magu was never prosecuted or convicted, yet his career was effectively ended, exemplifying the type of vendetta Malami now attributes to the current EFCC leadership. He also cited Malami’s role in the prolonged detention of former National Security Adviser Col. Sambo Dasuki, despite court orders granting bail, as evidence of the former AGF’s disregard for the rule of law to settle political scores. Onoh concluded that Malami cannot now seek special treatment or call for recusal simply because he faces accountability.

Former Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, SAN, has demanded that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) Chairman recuse himself from an ongoing investigation and threatened prosecution, describing the probe as a politically motivated “witch-hunt.” In a press release on Monday, Malami described the probe as politically motivated, linking it to his recent defection to the African Democratic Congress (ADC). He alleged that the EFCC Chairman harbors a longstanding grudge stemming from the Justice Ayo Salami Judicial Commission of Inquiry, which investigated corruption allegations within the EFCC during Malami’s tenure as Attorney-General. “The present investigation—marked by illegal detentions, media harassment, and procedural abuses—bears all the hallmarks of retaliatory persecution motivated by personal vengeance,” Malami said, stressing that the current EFCC leadership cannot conduct a fair or impartial probe into his activities. Malami formally demanded that the EFCC Chairman step aside and that the matter be handed over to another government agency to ensure credibility, impartiality, and public confidence. He also urged the current Attorney-General of the Federation to intervene, warning that continued involvement by the EFCC Chairman could lead to further institutional damage and abuse of prosecutorial powers. He emphasized the need for judicial oversight, insisting on immediate arraignment before a competent court in line with Sections 35(3), (4), and (5) of the Nigerian Constitution. According to Malami, only a court—not a politically compromised agency—can lawfully adjudicate the matter. Malami further accused the EFCC of planning to rely on questionable witnesses, including individuals convicted abroad, calling such tactics “desperate, scandalous, and corrosive to the integrity of Nigeria’s criminal justice system.” His office has formally requested certified copies of the petitions and investigation reports underpinning the EFCC’s actions, citing complaints from Human and Environmental Agenda and Grassroot Advocacy for Peace and Good Governance. Malami concluded by underscoring his commitment to clearing his name through lawful judicial processes and warning against the politicization of anti-corruption agencies. “The law must remain supreme—above politics, above power, and above persons,” he said. The statement was issued by Mohammed Bello Doka, Special Assistant on Media to Abubakar Malami, SAN.