Photo: Ex-AGF Malami,
By: Daniel Kanu
Editor
A Federal High Court in Abuja on Wednesday, January 7th, granted bail to former Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, SAN, along with his son, Abdulaziz Malami, and his wife, Hajia Bashir Asabe, in a widely followed money laundering prosecution.
Justice Emeka Nwite, presiding over the trial at the Federal High Court, admitted the defendants to bail in the sum of ₦500 million each, with two sureties of like amount per person. The total bail package for the trio is ₦1.5 billion.
The court outlined a number of conditions attached to the bail grant:
Each defendant must produce two sureties owning verifiable landed property in Asokoro, Maitama or Gwarinpa districts of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
Sureties must submit title documents for verification, provide affidavits of means, and deposit recent passport photographs.
The defendants are to surrender their international passports and are barred from travelling outside Nigeria without the court’s permission.
Until these conditions are met, Malami, his son and his wife will remain in custody at the Kuje Correctional Centre.
Justice Nwite also warned against any attempts to influence proceedings or approach him privately over the case, stressing the independence and integrity of the court’s process.
Recall that Malami and his co-defendants were arraigned by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) in late December 2025 on a 16-count charge alleging money laundering and related financial offences involving about ₦8.7 billion.
The EFCC alleges that Malami and his son used corporate entities and complex financial transactions to conceal proceeds of unlawful activities and to acquire high-value assets.
Following their arraignment, the former AGF and the other defendants pleaded not guilty and were remanded at the Kuje facility pending the resolution of their bail application.
The court has adjourned the substantive trial and listed February 17, 2026, for the next hearing.
