Operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS) on Monday arrested a former Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, shortly after his release from the Kuje Correctional Centre in Abuja.
Malami was taken into custody at the entrance of the correctional facility moments after completing his bail formalities. A video circulating on social media shows the former minister being escorted into a vehicle believed to belong to the DSS.
Witnesses said Malami briefly requested that the operatives identify themselves before complying and entering the vehicle. Security sources confirmed that the arrest was connected to a fresh investigation being conducted by the DSS, separate from the ongoing case for which he had just secured bail.
The development followed earlier claims by Malami that the DSS was planning to re-arrest him upon his release from Kuje Prison. In a statement issued by his media aide, Mohammed Doka, the former AGF had alleged that operatives of the secret police had mounted surveillance around the correctional facility with the intention of taking him back into custody.
Sources familiar with the matter also disclosed that operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) recently discovered arms at Malami’s country home in Kebbi State during a search, a development believed to have heightened security interest in the former minister.
Malami had been granted bail on January 7 by the Federal High Court in Abuja in a case in which he is standing trial alongside his wife, Bashir Asabe, and his son, Abubakar Abdulaziz Malami. The trial judge, Justice Emeka Nwite, admitted the defendants to bail in the sum of ₦500 million each, with two sureties in like sum, who must own landed property in Asokoro, Maitama or Gwarimpa districts of Abuja.
The EFCC had arraigned the trio on a 16-count charge bordering on money laundering involving ₦8.71 billion. The anti-graft agency alleged that between 2015 and 2025, the defendants conspired to launder proceeds of unlawful activities through various bank accounts and corporate entities to conceal the source and ownership of over ₦8.1 billion. All three pleaded not guilty to the charges.
Following the arraignment, the court ordered the interim forfeiture of 57 properties valued at about ₦213 billion, suspected to be proceeds of unlawful activities allegedly linked to Malami.
As of the time of filing this report, the DSS has yet to issue an official statement on the arrest.
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