Abubakar Malami, former Attorney-General of the Federation, along with his son, Abdulaziz, and an associate, Bashir Asabe, have been remanded in the Kuje Correctional Centre pending the hearing of their bail applications.
The defendants were arraigned before a Federal High Court in Abuja on Tuesday on a 16-count charge of alleged money laundering. All pleaded not guilty to the charges.
Following the arraignment, counsel for the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Ekele Iheanacho, requested the court to fix a date for the trial. “We received the bail application yesterday around 3 pm and will be seeking a date to respond,” Iheanacho said.
On the other hand, Joseph Daudu, counsel to the defendants, argued that an oral application for bail could be made alongside the formal written application, citing the 1995 Abiola vs. Federal Republic of Nigeria case as precedent.
Presiding Judge Emeka Nwite ruled that it was in the interest of justice to allow the prosecution to respond to the bail application before any decision could be made. He added that granting bail at this stage without a response from the prosecution would amount to an ambush and violate the right to fair hearing.
Consequently, the court ordered that Malami, his son, and their associate remain in Kuje Correctional Centre until the hearing of their bail applications scheduled for January 2, 2026.
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