EFCC Arraigns Ex-AGF Malami Over ₦9bn Money Laundering, 30 Choice Properties

EFCC Arraigns Ex-AGF Malami Over ₦9bn Money Laundering, 30 Choice Properties

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has slammed a 16-count money laundering charge against immediate-past Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami (SAN), over alleged laundering of about ₦9 billion used to acquire no fewer than 30 high-value properties across Abuja, Kebbi, Kano and other locations.

Malami was charged alongside his son, Abdulaziz Malami, and Hajia Bashir Asabe, an employee of Rahamaniyya Properties Limited, under provisions of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2011 (as amended) and the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.

According to the charge sheet dated December 23, 2025, the EFCC alleged that the former AGF laundered funds through several corporate entities, including Metropolitan Auto Tech Limited, to conceal the unlawful origin of proceeds allegedly derived while he served in office between 2015 and 2023 under the administration of the late President Muhammadu Buhari.

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The anti-graft agency accused Malami of indirectly acquiring and concealing funds used to purchase luxury houses, hotels, duplexes, estates, plazas and large expanse of land, with the combined value of the properties put at about ₦212.8 billion. Many of the assets were allegedly acquired during his eight years as the nation’s chief law officer.

The EFCC further alleged that Malami and his co-defendants used bank accounts in Sterling Bank and Union Bank, as well as cash collateral arrangements, to disguise illicit funds, including transactions running into hundreds of millions and billions of naira.

Investigators are also considering invoking the Non-Conviction Based Asset Forfeiture provisions of the EFCC Establishment Act to temporarily seize some of the properties. The commission has a 14-day window to invite interested parties to show cause why the assets should not be forfeited to the Federal Government.

The trial is expected to commence at the Federal High Court, Abuja, with the EFCC awaiting a date for arraignment. In what insiders describe as a high-profile prosecution, the commission has assembled a formidable legal team led by Chief Jibrin Okutepa (SAN) and Ekene Iheanacho (SAN), alongside 14 other lawyers. At least 10 witnesses have been frontloaded in line with the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA).

As of yesterday, there was no official response from Malami, who remains in EFCC custody. However, in his last public statement, the former minister had called on the EFCC Chairman, Ola Olukoyede, to recuse himself from the case.

The charges mark one of the most extensive corruption cases ever filed against a former Attorney-General of the Federation, underscoring the EFCC’s renewed push against alleged high-level financial crimes.

EFCC Arraigns Ex-AGF Malami Over ₦9bn Money Laundering, 30 Choice Properties