Former minister of Justice and Attorney General of the Federation (AGF), Abubakar Malami has accused the Department of State Services (DSS) of obstruction justice and “legal defence” in his ongoing trial over corrupt enrichment while in government.
Investigations also reveal that the former AGF is being questioned on allegations of terrorism financing by the DSS. Sources close to the ordeal of the former minister reveal that he is being questioned over the terrorism financiers list released in 2021 by the government of the UAE while Malami held sway and the Attorney General.
Malami was on December 30, 2025 arraigned by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) before Justice Emeka Nwite of the Federal High Court Abuja alongside his wife, Hajia Bashir Asabe, and his son Abubakar Abdulaziz Malami over an alleged money-laundering charges amounting to N8, 713, 923, 759.49 ( Eight Billion, Seven Hundred and Thirteen Million, Nine Hundred and Twenty Three Thousand, Seven Hundred and Fifty Nine Naira, Forty Nine Kobo). The EFCC later published a list of 41 properties valued at over N200 billion allegedly belonging to the former minister.
The former AGF was later granted bail with very strict conditions.
However, in a statement issued in Abuja on Friday, his Special Assistant on Media, Mohammed Bello Doka accused the DSS of deliberately obstructing the trial of the former minister in order to miscarry justice.
According to Malami, the DSS has been working to delay the trail even though the secret police seem not to have any incriminating evidence against him. Malami claimed that the DSS deliberately delayed the release of his international passport to the court registry despite the being aware that the document was a critical part of his bail condition.
Narrating his experience, the former AGF stated:
“The Office of Abubakar Malami, SAN, expresses grave concern over a series of actions by state agencies which, taken together, amount to a deliberate attempt to frustrate his constitutional right to fair hearing and effective legal defence.
“Following charges filed by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), the Federal High Court granted Mr. Malami bail. However, the EFCC delayed the submission of his international passports to the court for about one week, despite the passports being a key condition for the perfection of bail. This delay unnecessarily prolonged his detention and obstructed the execution of a valid court order.
“Immediately after Mr. Malami eventually perfected his bail and was released from Kuje Custodial Centre, he was rearrested by the Department of State Services (DSS). He was thereafter detained for five days without access to his lawyers or family, and was only allowed to meet his legal team on Friday after prolonged isolation, delays, and grave violations of his fundamental human rights.
“This detention occurred at a critical time when Mr. Malami was required to prepare and open his defence in an EFCC interim forfeiture proceeding before the Federal High Court. Denying him access to counsel during this period directly impaired his ability to consult, prepare filings, and give instructions, amounting to a clear frustration of due process.
“This sequence of events clearly suggests a pattern where arrest precedes investigation, with evidence sought after detention—an approach that is a blatant violation of the rule of law and constitutionally guaranteed rights. It is deeply troubling that the DSS appears to be adopting a similar practice of arrest, detention, and then evidence gathering.
“The Office stresses that bail granted by a court must have meaning. No agency should be permitted to neutralise judicial orders through coordinated delays, rearrests, or denial of access to legal representation. Such actions undermine the authority of the courts and pose a serious threat to fundamental human rights.
The former AGF reiterated that he was ready “to defend himself fully in court and in accordance with the law, and calls on all state institutions to respect court orders, constitutional guarantees, and the rule of law.”
The DSS, has however kept a distance from the media over the trial of the former minister.
Malami has since the exit of President Muhammadu Buhari in 2023 shown interest in contesting the 2027 general elections. several political pundits in the state have linked the former minister to the governorship contest of his Kebbi home state. Unti he was arrested by the EFCC, Malami had shown interest in joining the opposition African Democratic Congress (ADC).
