The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has once again taken Nigeria’s former Minister of Justice and Attorney General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami (SAN), into custody, just days after his initial questioning by the anti-graft agency.
Sources confirmed to SaharaReporters that Malami was arrested late Monday night and was reportedly struggling to meet the stringent bail conditions set by the EFCC that same night.
Investigations revealed that Malami was actively searching for two serving permanent secretaries to stand as sureties, a critical requirement to fulfill the bail conditions for his release.
“EFCC arrested Abubakar Malami again; he was looking for two Permanent Secretaries for bail conditions on Monday night,” a source privy to the probe disclosed.
This marks Malami’s second detention in quick succession. He had initially honored an EFCC invitation on Friday, November 28, to clarify certain issues and was granted bail but was almost forced to spend the night in custody due to the conditions.
Malami later confirmed his release from the first detention, stating on his official X handle,“The engagement was successful and I am eventually released while on an appointment for further engagement as the truth relating to the fabricated allegations against me continue to unfold.”
The re-arrest comes amid Malami’s strong public dismissal of the core allegations leveled against him by the EFCC, which center on the recovery process of the $310 million (later $322.5 million with interest) Sani Abacha loot.
Malami dismissed the EFCC’s claims that he “duplicated” a recovery process allegedly completed by Swiss lawyer Enrico Monfrini before Malami assumed office in 2015.
In a statement issued by his media aide, Mohammed Doka, Malami described the EFCC’s claims as “baseless, illogical, and devoid of substance.”
Monfrini himself applied in December 2016 to be re-engaged for the same recovery, which Malami argued contradicts the notion that the process was already concluded.
Malami insisted he saved the Nigerian state between 15% (76.8 billion at an average ₦1,600/ rate) and 35% ($179.2 billion) of the recovered sum by rejecting Monfrini’s demand for a 20-40% success fee and a $5 million upfront deposit, opting instead for a local law firm on a transparent 5% success fee basis.
Malami concluded that “any claim or investigation suggesting abuse of office or money laundering in relation to the $322.5million is not rooted in any reasonable ground for suspicion.”
