The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has re-arrested Nigeria’s former Minister of Justice and Attorney General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami (SAN), just days after he was first questioned by the anti-graft agency.
Sources told SaharaReporters that Malami was detained late Monday night after failing to immediately meet the stringent bail conditions set by investigators. He was said to be searching frantically for two serving permanent secretaries to stand as sureties—a key requirement for his release.
“EFCC arrested Abubakar Malami again; he was looking for two Permanent Secretaries for bail conditions on Monday night,” a source close to the probe confirmed.
This second detention comes shortly after Malami honored an EFCC invitation on Friday, November 28, where he was interrogated and granted bail. However, he almost spent that night in custody due to similar bail-related delays.
Following his initial release, Malami posted on his official X handle: “The engagement was successful and I am eventually released while on an appointment for further engagement as the truth relating to the fabricated allegations against me continue to unfold.”
The former AGF’s ordeal is tied to ongoing EFCC investigations into the recovery of the $310 million Sani Abacha loot—an amount that later totaled $322.5 million with interest.
Malami has repeatedly denied the allegations, insisting the claims are “baseless, illogical, and devoid of substance.” His media aide, Mohammed Doka, also issued a statement dismissing allegations that Malami duplicated a recovery process already completed by Swiss lawyer Enrico Monfrini before 2015.
According to Malami, Monfrini himself applied in December 2016 to be re-engaged for the same recovery—an action he says contradicts EFCC’s narrative.
He further argued that he saved Nigeria between 15% (₦76.8 billion at approximately ₦1,600/$) and 35% ($179.2 billion) of the recovered sum by rejecting Monfrini’s steep 20–40% success fee and $5 million upfront demand, opting instead for a Nigerian law firm on a 5% transparent success fee.
Malami maintains that “any claim or investigation suggesting abuse of office or money laundering in relation to the $322.5 million is not rooted in any reasonable ground for suspicion.”