Alleged N8.7bn Money Laundering: Court Sends Malami, Wife, Son Back to Prison

Malami

By JUMOKE SANNI

Justice Joyce Abdulmalik of the Federal High Court, Maitama, Abuja, on Friday, February 27, 2026, ordered the remand of the former Attorney General of the Federation, AGF, and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, SAN, alongside his wife, Hajia Bashir Asabe and their son, Abubakar Abdulaziz Malami in correctional facilities, pending the determination of their bail applications.

Malami and his son, being the first and third defendants were remanded in the Kuje Correctional Centre, while Asabe, the second defendant was ordered to be remanded in the Suleja Medium Correctional Centre.

Their re-arraignment by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, followed the re-assignment of the case from Justice Emeka Nwite of the Federal High Court, Maitama, Abuja to Justice Abdulmalik.

The threesome is being tried on an amended 16-count charge, bordering on conspiracy, procuring, disguising, concealing and laundering proceeds of unlawful activities to the tune of N8,713,923,759.49 (Eight Billion, Seven Hundred and Thirteen Million, Nine Hundred and Twenty-Three Thousand, Seven Hundred and Fifty-Nine Naira, Forty-Nine Kobo), contrary to the provisions of the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.

At the commencement of proceedings, prosecution counsel, Chief J.S. Okutepa, SAN, noted that the matter was coming before Justice Abdulmaik for the first time and sought the leave of the court for the amended charges to be read to the defendants. He drew the court’s attention to corrections made in Counts 11 and 12 regarding the numeric values to tally with the amounts already stated in words in the charge.