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The Federal High Court in Abuja on Tuesday ordered the remand of former Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice Abubakar Malami at the Kuje Correctional Centre pending the hearing of his bail application.
Justice Emeka Nwite also ordered the remand of Malami’s co-defendants, his son, Abubakar Abdulaziz Malami, and his wife, Hajia Bashir Asabe.
The order followed the arraignment of Malami and the two others by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on a 16-count charge of alleged money laundering to the tune of N8.7 billion.
The EFCC accused the defendants of conspiracy, procuring, disguising, concealing and laundering proceeds of unlawful activities, contrary to the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.
At the start of proceedings, prosecuting counsel, Ekele Iheanacho, SAN, told the court that the matter was for arraignment and asked that the charges be read and pleas taken.
“My Lord, this matter is for the arraignment of the defendants on a 16-count charge dated and filed on December 23, 2025. We humbly pray that the charge be read to the defendants and their pleas taken,” Iheanacho said.
Defence counsel, J. B. Daudu, SAN, did not oppose the request. The charges were read, and the defendants pleaded not guilty.
Some of the counts allege that Malami and his son used companies to conceal over N1 billion in funds believed to be proceeds of unlawful activities, while other counts accuse the defendants of conspiring to disguise the origin of more than N1.04 billion through bank accounts linked to hotel and property firms.
After the pleas were taken, the prosecution said it was ready for trial and asked the court to set a date. Iheanacho informed the court that the defence had filed a bail application and requested time to respond.
Daudu, however, urged the court to grant bail orally, arguing that the offences were bailable. He cited legal authorities to support his position.
“My Lord, having listened carefully to the 16-count charge, this is a proper case for an oral application for bail,” he said, citing Abiola v. FRN.
“The offences alleged are bailable, and Section 216 of the ACJA does not mandate that an application for bail must be made in writing,” he said.
The prosecution opposed the oral application, insisting that bail applications must be supported by affidavit evidence and warning that granting bail without a formal response would prejudice the case.
In his ruling, Justice Nwite said the prosecution must be given an adequate opportunity to respond to the bail request. He therefore ordered that the defendants be remanded to the Kuje Correctional Centre.
The judge adjourned the case to January 2, 2026, for the bail application hearing.
