The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has confirmed that former Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, will report to its headquarters in Abuja every day throughout the month of December as part of an ongoing investigation into an alleged $490 million Abacha loot repatriated under a Mutual Legal Assistance (MLAT) arrangement.
A reliable EFCC source told Vanguard on Monday that Malami’s daily appearance is a mandatory condition of his release. The former minister, who honoured an EFCC invitation on Saturday, November 28, has also been barred from travelling outside Nigeria for the next month after the commission seized his international passport.
According to the source:
“We seized his passport; it is the normal routine during investigation. But he has to report at the EFCC headquarters in Abuja every day for the next month.
He will be reporting every day, starting from December 1 to December 31.
He will appear before the team of investigators for the entire month of December because of the volume of the investigation and the seriousness of the charges against him.”
The source added that the daily reporting requirement was necessary due to the complexity of the probe, the large volume of documents involved, and the need for extensive interviews. Investigators are particularly focused on tracing and securing accountability for the repatriated $490 million.
“We have asked him to explain the whereabouts of the $490 million Abacha loot secured through MLAT,” the source said. “We didn’t say he stole money, but he should account for the loot. This is one of the issues he will clarify to our investigators.”
The EFCC further explained that Malami has several outstanding questions to answer, noting that its findings would be made public only after a thorough and complete investigation. The commission stressed that it would not engage in a “war of words.”
In a statement issued on Monday by his media aide, Mohammed Doka, Malami confirmed his engagement with the EFCC but described the investigation as a “political witch-hunt.”
He acknowledged honouring the invitation on November 28, calling the interaction “fruitful,” and expressed strong confidence that the probe would ultimately vindicate him. Malami dismissed the allegations as baseless, illogical, and lacking substance, insisting they would collapse under factual scrutiny.