Operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS) have arrested the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami.
His arrest, according to sources in the secret police, borders on fresh allegations of terrorism financing.
Security sources say Malami, who is standing trial before a Federal High Court on allegations of money laundering, was on Monday taken into custody by security operatives shortly after his release from the Kuje Correctional Centre, Abuja.
The source disclosed that DSS operatives picked him up immediately after he exited the facility.
Officials of the Nigerian Correctional Service confirmed that Malami was released after perfecting his bail conditions.
Efforts to obtain official comments from the DSS remained unsuccessful as of the time of filing this report.
The release of the former AGF followed the granting of bail on January 7, 2026, by Justice Emeka Nwite of the Federal High Court, Abuja. The court granted bail to Malami, his wife, and his son for ₦500 million each, with strict conditions.
Each defendant was required to produce two sureties with verifiable landed property within Asokoro, Maitama, or Gwarimpa, deposit property documents with the court, and submit affidavits of means.
They were also ordered to surrender their international passports and barred from travelling abroad without prior permission.
Malami, his wife Asabe, and his son had been remanded at Kuje following their arraignment by the EFCC on December 29, 2025, on 16 counts, bordering on money laundering involving about ₦8.7bn.
The EFCC alleged that the defendants used multiple corporate entities, bank accounts, and high-value real estate transactions to conceal proceeds of unlawful activities
‘Alleged Bias’
Amid his running battle with the anti-graft agency, Malama had accused the Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Olanipekun Olukoyede, from all matters relating to him, citing alleged bias and conflict of interest.
Malami in a statement by his media aide, Mohammed Bello, also called for the immediate recusal, citing conflict of interest.
He argued that the EFCC chairman’s continued involvement is “legally untenable, morally indefensible, and constitutionally impermissible,” referencing Chapter 9 of the Justice Ayo Salami Judicial Commission of Inquiry Report.
According to the statement, Malami, while serving as Attorney-General, supervised the establishment of the Justice Ayo Salami Judicial Commission of Inquiry to investigate allegations of corruption and abuse of office within the EFCC. It noted that the current EFCC chairman served as secretary to the commission at the time.
The statement said Chapter 9 of the Salami Report addressed the conduct and responsibilities of senior EFCC officials and created what it described as “personal and professional exposure” for certain individuals now exercising prosecutorial authority over Malami.
Responding, the EFCC boss says its operations are not targeted at members of the opposition, but it is handling cases irrespective of political parties.
EFCC Chairman, Ola Olukoyede, said this in an exclusive interview with Channels Television, saying the agency’s investigation of a former Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, is not politically-related.
“Let me tell you about that particular former attorney-general that you are talking about — there is nothing personal in this matter. If Nigeria is to move forward, all of us must agree that this fight must be fought without being partisan, and that’s what I want Nigerians to understand and to agree with us,” Olukayode said in the interview aired on Sunday Politics on January 11.
“So now I want to tell Nigerians that the investigation of this man predated me in office, and a lot of people don’t know that. Yes, I edited the investigation file. What I did was to ensure that the investigation was carried out in a very professional and thorough manner.”
