A Federal High Court in Abuja has ordered the remand of former Attorney-General of the Federation Abubakar Malami, SAN, his wife, Hajia Bashir Asabe, and their son, Abubakar Abdulaziz Malami, in correctional facilities pending fresh bail applications.
The order was delivered by Justice Joyce Abdulmalik on Friday, February 27, 2026, following the re-arraignment of the three defendants by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). The case was re-assigned from Justice Emeka Nwite to Justice Abdulmalik.
Malami and his son were remanded at the Kuje Correctional Centre, while Asabe was ordered to be held at the Suleja Medium Correctional Centre. The trio faces an amended 16-count charge for conspiracy and money laundering involving approximately N8.7 billion. The charges allege they procured, disguised, and concealed proceeds of unlawful activities between 2022 and 2025, contravening the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.
During the proceedings, prosecution counsel Chief J.S. Okutepa, SAN, sought to formally read the amended charges, noting minor corrections to numeric values in two counts to align with the written figures. Defence counsel J.B. Daudu, SAN, did not object to the amendment but urged the prosecution to make a formal application, which the court granted.
All defendants pleaded not guilty. The prosecution requested a trial date and their remand in custody. The defence argued that the defendants were already on perfected bail granted by Justice Nwite during their first arraignment and had not breached any conditions. They contended that as the Federal High Court is a single entity, the existing bail should subsist.
Prosecution counsel conceded the defendants had previous bail but submitted that the new judge had discretion to either adopt those terms or impose fresh conditions. In her ruling, Justice Abdulmalik held that the earlier bail was terminated by the case’s reassignment. “I am of the view that the earlier bail has been terminated. In that wise, I order that fresh bail applications be filed before this court,” she stated.
The court rejected an oral bail application from the defence, directing that a formal application be filed given the weight of the allegations. Justice Abdulmalik also ordered the prosecution to grant the defence access to the defendants for trial preparation and adjourned the matter to March 6, 2026, for the hearing of the fresh bail applications and the commencement of trial.
The case underscores the procedural complexities following a change of trial judge, particularly regarding pre-trial bail, and sets the stage for a high-profile trial involving the former top government lawyer.
