Ex-AGF decries 14-day detention, media trial by anti-graft agency

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has filed 16 charges before the Federal High Court in Abuja against former Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami (SAN); his son, Abubakar Abdulaziz Malami; and an associate, Bashir Asabe, for alleged money laundering and unlawful acquisition of properties that ran into billions of naira.
 
Meanwhile, Malami has accused EFCC of refusing to comply with a court order granting him bail and subjecting him to unlawful detention and media trial.
 
The charge, filed at the Abuja Judicial Division of the Federal High Court, accuses the defendants of conspiring between 2015 and 2025 to launder, conceal and disguise the origins of large sums of money, which were allegedly used to acquire luxury properties across the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) and parts of northern Nigeria.
 
According to the EFCC, Count one alleges that between July 2022 and June 2025, Malami and his son procured Metropolitan Auto Tech Limited to conceal the unlawful origin of N1,014,848,500 lodged in a Sterling Bank account, knowing or reasonably expected to know that the funds were proceeds of unlawful activities.
  
Their offences are said to be contrary to Section 21(c) of the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022. Count two alleges that between September 2020 and February 2021, while Malami served as AGF, he and his son similarly concealed N600,013,460.40 through the same company and bank account, contrary to the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2011.
  
In Count three, the anti-graft agency alleges that in March 2021, the defendants retained N600 million in Metropolitan Auto Tech Limited as cash collateral for a N500 million loan granted to Rayhaan Hotels Limited by Sterling Bank, despite allegedly knowing the funds were proceeds of unlawful activities.
 
Count four implicates Asabe, alleging that in November 2022, the three defendants disguised the origin of N500 million paid to Efab Properties Limited for the purchase of a luxury duplex at Amazon Street, Maitama District, Abuja, allegedly acquired for Malami.
 
Subsequent counts outline a series of similar transactions. While count five alleges a conspiracy to disguise N1,049,173,926.13 paid through the Union Bank account of Meethaq Hotels Limited between November 2022 and September 2024, while Count six alleges control of N1,362,887,872.96 through the same company between November 2022 and October 2025.
 
Counts seven to 12 detail multiple property acquisitions in Abuja, including properties at Onitsha Crescent, Area 11, Garki; Jabi District; Rhine Street, Maitama; and Efab Estate, Gwarimpa, allegedly purchased with sums ranging from N120 million to N700 million, said to be proceeds of unlawful activities.
 
Counts 13 to 16 further alleged conspiracy and concealment in the acquisition of luxury assets, including a duplex at Amazon Street, a property at Babbi Street, BUA Estate, Abuja, a four-bedroom bungalow in Birnin Kebbi, and a commercial plaza in Kano, involving hundreds of millions of naira.
 
The EFCC’s list of evidence includes many witnesses expected to testify, such as EFCC investigators Folarin Dare, Chinedu Eneanya, and Sani Lukeman, as well as officials from Sterling Bank and Zenith Bank, as well as Bureau De Change operators. 
 
The witnesses are expected to tender documents and testify on financial transactions linked to the alleged offences. However, the defendants have yet to appear in court and The Guardian gathered that the EFCC would be represented by a team of senior lawyers, including Jibrin Okutepa (SAN) and Ekele Iheanacho (SAN). 

IN a statement issued yesterday by his media aide, Mohammed Bello Doka, the former AGF said the EFCC ignored a valid order of the FCT High Court admitting him to bail, despite the fulfilment of all conditions.
 
The FCT High Court, on Tuesday, granted Malami interim bail in a matter involving the EFCC after considering arguments from both parties. The court reportedly held that he had met the bail conditions and ordered his release pending further proceedings, adjourning the case till a later date in January.
 
However, Malami’s office alleged that despite being formally served with the court order, EFCC officials refused to accept the bail documents and turned away the court bailiff, insisting on keeping him in custody.
 
According to the statement, the former minister has now spent over 14 days in detention without arraignment before any court of competent jurisdiction, a development his lawyers described as unconstitutional and oppressive.
  
Beyond the issue of detention, Malami accused the anti-graft agency of engaging in selective media briefings aimed at shaping public opinion against him, a move he described as a “media trial” after the failure to secure judicial backing.
  
“Court orders are not advisory; they are binding on all authorities,” the statement noted, warning that selective obedience to judicial orders could undermine the rule of law.
 
Malami reiterated his readiness to submit himself fully to due process and to have any allegation determined by a court of law, but rejected “trial by detention, trial by media and trial by political vendetta.”
 
The statement called on the judiciary and relevant oversight institutions to take urgent notice of the alleged contempt and ensure accountability.