Operatives of the Department of State Services, DSS, have taken into custody Abubakar Malami, former attorney-general of the federation and minister of justice, shortly after his release from the Kuje Correctional Centre in Abuja on Monday.
A security source confirmed the arrest, saying it was carried out by DSS personnel following Malami’s exit from the facility.
“Yes, it is true that DSS operatives arrested Abubakar Malami, SAN. There are several petitions against him bordering on alleged terrorism financing,” the source said.
“Terrorism and terrorism financing are serious offences globally. You’ll recall that when Abubakar Malami, SAN, was the attorney-general of the federation and minister of justice, he vowed that the government of the day would not shield any person or persons linked to terrorism or terrorism financing.
“No responsible government would, in the same vein, fold it’s hands or turn a blind eye to weighty allegations of terrorism financing levelled against any individual, no matter how highly placed. In this case, Malami, SAN.
“In the course of investigations, we have what is called inter-agency cooperation. It is not uncommon for one security agency to hand over a person under investigation to another sister security agency.
“In Nigeria, the DSS is the sole security agency tasked with the responsibility of investigating such allegations. It’ll be best to allow them to do their job,”
Malami was recently granted bail by a federal high court in Abuja on January 7, alongside his wife and son, in a case bordering on alleged money laundering. The court fixed the bail sum at N500 million for each defendant.
The presiding judge, Emeka Nwite, ordered Malami, his son Abubakar Abdulaziz Malami, and his wife Bashir Asabe to each provide two sureties in like sum, with the sureties required to own landed property within Asokoro, Maitama, or Gwarimpa areas of the Federal Capital Territory.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, had arraigned the trio on allegations of laundering funds amounting to N8.7 billion.
According to the anti-graft agency, the defendants allegedly conspired between 2015 and 2025 to launder proceeds of unlawful activities using multiple bank accounts and corporate entities to conceal the source and ownership of over N8.1 billion.
All the defendants pleaded not guilty to the charges.
Following the arraignment, the court ordered the interim forfeiture of 57 properties valued at N213 billion, which were suspected to be proceeds of unlawful activities allegedly linked to the former attorney-general.
Earlier, Malami’s media office had issued a statement alleging that DSS operatives mounted surveillance around the Kuje Correctional Centre with the intention of arresting him after his release.
His media aide, Mohammed Doka, claimed the move was targeted at re-arresting the former AGF upon leaving the prison.
There have also been reports alleging that the DSS uncovered arms at Malami’s residence.
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