Operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on Tuesday evening arrested Nigeria’s immediate-past Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami SAN, in a dramatic raid linked to ongoing investigations into terrorism financing and money laundering.
Sources inside the anti-graft agency confirmed that Malami was picked up at his Abuja residence shortly after 7 p.m. and taken to EFCC headquarters for interrogation. He is expected to remain in custody overnight as investigators grill him over alleged “professional and institutional engagements” that reportedly crossed into suspicious financial dealings with individuals and entities now under probe for terrorism-related offences.
The arrest comes barely 24 hours after Malami issued a fiery public statement rejecting “guilt by association” and listing landmark anti-terrorism and anti-money-laundering laws he championed between 2015 and 2023, including the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act 2022 and the Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act 2022.
EFCC sources described Tuesday’s move as the culmination of months of intelligence gathering, claiming that certain transactions and legal services provided during Malami’s tenure “raised red flags” under the very laws he helped enact.
One senior investigator told NewsFocus on condition of anonymity:
“The irony is not lost on us. Some of the provisions in the 2022 Acts are exactly what we are using to question him tonight.”
Neither the EFCC nor Malami’s legal team has issued an official statement as at press time, but family sources described the former minister as “calm and cooperative,” insisting he has “nothing to hide.”
The arrest has already sent shockwaves through legal and political circles, with many describing it as the boldest move yet by the EFCC under its new leadership.
