The Federal High Court sitting in Abuja has granted bail to former Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, along with his wife, Asabe Bashir, and their son, Abdulaziz Malami, in an alleged ₦8.7 billion money laundering case instituted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
In a ruling on Wednesday, Justice Emeka Nwite set bail at ₦500 million each for the three defendants.
The bail order paves the way for Mr Malami’s release after 31 days in detention, having been held by the EFCC from December 8 to December 30, 2025, before being remanded at the Kuje Correctional Centre following his arraignment.
His wife and son, who had spent 16 days in custody, were arrested by the EFCC between December 23 and December 30 and were also remanded alongside him.
Malami, who served as Nigeria’s Attorney General under former President Muhammadu Buhari from 2015 to 2023, is facing trial with his family on 16 counts of money laundering involving approximately ₦8.7 billion.
The EFCC alleges the unlawful retention of proceeds of crime and the acquisition of assets using funds of suspicious origin. All three defendants have pleaded not guilty to the charges.
Following their arraignment on December 30, the defence counsel Joseph Daudu, SAN, applied for bail.
However, the EFCC, represented by Ekele Iheanacho, SAN, opposed the application, prompting the court to remand the defendants in custody to allow the prosecution adequate opportunity to respond.
The bail hearing was eventually held on January 2, during which the defence argued that the offences were bailable and requested lenient bail conditions. The prosecution countered, citing the gravity of the allegations and concerns over possible interference with witnesses.
Justice Nwite adjourned ruling to January 7, after which he granted bail, ordering the temporary return of the defendants to custody pending the decision.
