Justice Emeka Nwite of the Federal High Court in Abuja has granted former Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abdulaziz Malami (SAN), bail in the sum of ₦500 million, alongside similar bail terms for his wife and son, who are co-defendants in an ongoing money laundering case, totaling a bail sum of N1.5b for the family.
The ruling was delivered on Wednesday following their arraignment on charges filed by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
According to the court, each defendant must produce two sureties in like sum, bringing the total financial exposure per defendant to ₦1 billion. Justice Nwite further ruled that the sureties must be property owners in high-value areas of Abuja, specifically Asokoro, Maitama, or Gwarinpa.
In addition to the financial conditions, the court ordered that all defendants must submit their international passports and other travel documents to the court. Justice Nwite emphasized that none of them is permitted to travel outside Nigeria without prior approval of the court.
The judge directed that title documents of the landed properties presented by the sureties be submitted to the court registry for verification. The Deputy Chief Registrar of the Federal High Court was mandated to authenticate the documents, while the sureties are also required to swear to affidavits of means, confirming their financial capacity.
Furthermore, the court ordered both the defendants and their sureties to submit two recent passport photographs each as part of the bail perfection process.
Despite granting bail, Justice Nwite ordered that Malami be remanded at the Kuje Correctional Centre pending the full compliance with the stringent bail conditions.
Recall that Symfoni reports that the court also fixed February 17, 2026, for the commencement of trial in the matter.The EFCC is prosecuting Malami, his son Abdulaziz Malami, and his wife on a 16-count charge bordering on money laundering, involving alleged illicit financial transactions estimated at about ₦9 billion.
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According to court documents earlier reported by PUNCH Online, the anti-graft agency accused the defendants of engaging in suspicious financial dealings during Malami’s tenure as Nigeria’s Attorney General.
Malami has been in EFCC custody since December 8, 2025, after allegedly failing to meet the administrative bail conditions granted by the commission.
On December 18, 2025, the Federal Capital Territory High Court upheld his continued detention. In that ruling, Justice Babangida Hassan dismissed Malami’s application seeking release from EFCC custody.
Justice Hassan held that Malami’s detention was lawful under Section 35 of the 1999 Constitution and the provisions of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA).
He ruled that Malami was being held pursuant to a valid remand order, stressing that the court lacked the jurisdiction to overturn a decision made by a court of coordinate jurisdiction.
“Asking this court to grant this application is tantamount to inviting the court to sit as an appellate court over an application made by a court of coordinate jurisdiction, which the court has no power to do,” Justice Hassan stated at the time.
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