ABUJA, Nigeria — In a significant escalation of anti-corruption and security investigations, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has detained and is interrogating former Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami (SAN), on allegations including terrorism financing and the misappropriation of recovered state funds.
Malami, who served as Nigeria's top legal officer from 2015 to 2023, was taken into custody on Tuesday, December 9, 2025. He remained in detention as of 10:00 p.m. that evening, having reportedly failed to meet stringent bail conditions set by the anti-graft agency.
The Core Allegations Under Scrutiny
According to EFCC sources familiar with the case, the commission is investigating multiple serious accusations against the former minister. The probe focuses on several key areas:
1. Terrorism Financing: The primary and most severe allegation is that Malami was involved in financing terrorist activities. While details of this specific charge remain undisclosed, it forms the central pillar of the EFCC's case.
2. Misuse of Recovered Abacha Loot: Investigators are demanding Malami account for the whereabouts of approximately $344 million in public funds recovered from foreign accounts linked to the late military ruler, General Sani Abacha. This includes $322 million repatriated from Switzerland and an additional $22 million from the Island of Jersey.
3. Suspicious Financial Operations and Investments: The EFCC is scrutinizing Malami's personal finances, including the operation of "suspicious accounts" and a sudden investment of roughly N10 billion (approx. $6.7 million) in his home state of Kebbi. The agency has indicated it may attach some of these assets.
4. Wife's Link to CBN Funds: Sources also state the commission plans to question one of Malami's wives regarding her alleged role in handling N4 billion from the Central Bank of Nigeria's (CBN) Anchor Borrowers' Programme.
Malami's Forceful Denial and Defense
In a detailed statement released on the social media platform X, Abubakar Malami has issued a comprehensive and categorical denial of all allegations. He described the reports linking him to terrorism financing as "mischievous" and "unjust," suggesting they were politically motivated by opponents.
Malami anchored his defense on his official record, stating: "My public record in office stands in direct contradiction to any insinuation of complicity in terrorism financing." He highlighted his key role in leading Nigeria's Anti-Money Laundering and Counter-Financing of Terrorism (AML/CFT) reforms, which were instrumental in the country's recent exit from the Financial Action Task Force's (FATF) "grey list"—a global monitoring list for jurisdictions with strategic deficiencies in combating illicit finance.
He further argued that lawful professional relationships he maintained in office were being wrongly construed as evidence of criminal activity, insisting that "any attempt... to associate an individual with such an offence must be grounded in verifiable facts, due process, and lawful findings, not in conjecture, speculation, or guilt by association."
A High-Stakes Investigation with Political Reverberations
The detention of a former Attorney-General—the government's chief legal advisor and a senior member of the immediate past administration—is a politically sensitive event. It signals a potentially aggressive new phase in the current government's anti-corruption drive and its efforts to investigate security failures.
With Malami in custody and the EFCC indicating the investigation could take "some days," the case is set to dominate Nigeria's political and legal discourse. The outcome will be closely watched as a test of institutional independence and the rule of law, with profound implications for accountability and governance.
*Source: The Nation Newspaper.*
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