Just days before the start of 2026, former Attorney-General of the Federation and Justice Minister, Abubakar Malami, SAN, his son Abdulaziz Malami, and Hajia Asabe, an associate linked to property dealings, have been ordered to be remanded at the Kuje Correctional Centre.
The trio were remanded after a Federal High Court in Abuja rejected their bail application following their arraignment on money laundering charges brought by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
Justice Emeka Nwite, who presided over the ruling on Tuesday, gave the order while delivering a judgment on the oral bail application filed by Malami and the two other defendants’ lawyer, Joseph Daudu, SAN.
The judge held that it would be in the interest of justice and a fair hearing to allow the prosecution to respond to the earlier bail application filed by the defence.
“I have listened to the submissions of the learner counsel of both divide and also gone through the relevant laws. It is not in dispute that an application for bail has been filed by the defendants.
“It is also not in dispute that the bail application has been served on the prosecution. It is not in dispute that, that application cannot be withdrawn by the defendants,” he said adjourning the matter until Jan. 2 for hearing.
Earlier, the defendants had pleaded not guilty to a 16-count charge bordering on money laundering and alleged illicit acquisition of assets.
The charges, which carry serious financial and legal implications, allege that the trio engaged in schemes to conceal, disguise, and retain proceeds from illicit activities, involving multi-billion-naira transactions and acquisitions of high-value properties.
The anti-graft agency accused Malami of using proxies and corporate entities to conceal and launder funds allegedly derived from unlawful activities during and after his tenure from 2015 to 2023.
The commission contends that multiple bank accounts, corporate entities, and real estate transactions were employed to channel illicit funds, totalling over N8.7 billion.
EFCC specifically alleged that N1.014 billion was laundered through Metropolitan Auto Tech Limited via a Sterling Bank account between July 2022 and June 2025, with an additional N600.01 million deposited from September 2020 to February 2021.
High-value properties purportedly acquired using these proceeds include a luxury duplex in Maitama (N500 million), a Garki property (N700 million), and a Jabi residence (N850 million), among others in Abuja’s upscale districts.
Asabe, an employee of Rahamaniyya Properties Ltd, is alleged to have facilitated these acquisitions and helped disguise ownership.
The EFCC stated that the transactions contravene provisions of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2011 (as amended) and the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.
