Former Attorney-General Malami Clarifies Circumstances Surrounding His Continued Detention

Abubakar Malami, SAN, former Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, has provided clarification regarding his continued detention by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), despite voluntarily reporting to the agency on Monday.

The former minister is reportedly being questioned over several issues, including allegations related to terrorism financing, the ownership of 46 bank accounts, engagement of multiple legal representatives in the recovery of the $322.5 million Abacha loot, and the use of funds from the conditional cash transfer programme.

Malami, through a statement by his Special Assistant on Media, Mohammed Bello Doka, said he was detained without being given a specific reason other than being informed that his earlier administrative bail had been revoked, despite not breaching its terms. He added that he had been given new bail conditions, which he is ready to meet once authorised by the EFCC.

Malami dismissed claims of terrorism financing and the ownership of 46 bank accounts, describing them as “false, misleading, and baseless.” The statement emphasised that “there is no allegation, investigation, or charge of terrorism financing against Abubakar Malami, SAN, by the EFCC or by any other security, intelligence, or law-enforcement agency, whether in Nigeria or abroad.”

Regarding the claims about 46 bank accounts, the statement called them “entirely fictitious, unsupported by facts, official records, or lawful findings, and merely part of a coordinated media trial aimed at character assassination.” Doka noted that Malami had never been questioned about terrorism financing or multiple bank accounts, and clarified that even a retired military officer cited in recent reports explicitly denied accusing Malami of financing terrorism—a clarification overshadowed by “sensational headlines and mischievous framing.”

The statement also highlighted Malami’s record as Attorney-General, noting his role in strengthening Nigeria’s anti-money laundering (AML) and counter-terrorism financing (CFT) framework. During his tenure, he helped establish an independent National Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU), enacted the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022, and the Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022—reforms that contributed to Nigeria’s eventual removal from the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) grey list.

On the issue of multiple legal representatives in the Abacha loot recovery, Doka explained that the Buhari administration rejected initial terms from Swiss lawyer Enrico Monfrini, who reportedly requested a $5 million upfront fee and a success fee of up to 40 percent. Malami later negotiated a 5 percent all-inclusive success fee with local lawyers, reportedly saving the country between ₦76.8 billion and ₦179.2 billion.

The statement added that recovered funds were repatriated in tranches and used according to tripartite agreements with international partners. These included $322 million from Switzerland disbursed via the National Social Investment Programme under World Bank and civil society oversight (2017–2018), and $321 million repatriated from Jersey in 2020, which funded major infrastructure projects such as the Lagos–Ibadan Expressway, Abuja–Kano Road, and Second Niger Bridge.

Malami, who served as Nigeria’s Attorney-General from 2015 to 2023, had confirmed on November 28 that he received an EFCC invitation, pledging on social media to comply as “a law-abiding and patriotic citizen.” The EFCC, however, stated that his bail was revoked for failure to meet required conditions and confirmed that he remains in custody in connection with multiple ongoing investigations.