DSS Arrests ex-AGF Malami After Release from Kuje Prison in EFCC Case

By Adedapo Adesanya

The Department of State Service (DSS) has arrested former Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice, Mr Abubakar Malami, shortly after his release from Kuje prison in Abuja on Monday.

He was reportedly arrested to face a fresh probe over arms allegedly discovered in his house in Birnin-Kebbi, the Kebbi State capital, last December.

Recall that two weeks ago, Justice Emeka Nwite of the Federal High Court in Abuja granted the former AGF and two others bail in the sum of N500 million.

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) had filed a 16-count alleged money laundering charge against Mr Malami, his son, Abdulaziz Malami, and his wife, Mrs Asabe Bashir.

The DSS operatives reportedly arrested him as he was exiting the Kuje Correctional Centre in Abuja, where he had been held since December 30, 2025, over the pending N8.7 billion money laundering charges filed by the anti-graft agency.

Monday’s arrest followed weeks of reports of surveillance by the secret police in front of the prison facility since the time Mr Malami, his wife and son were remanded there over the money laundering charges.

As per reports, Mr Malami had gathered that he would be picked up upon regaining his temporary freedom decided to wait. However, after his eventual emergence, the DSS operatives took the ex-AGF into detention again.

In a press statement by Mr Malami’s aide, Mr Mohammed Doka, shared on the former AGF’s Facebook page on January 7, the planned arrest of the legal practitioner was confirmed.

The post, the latest on the Facebook page as of Tuesday morning, said the former minister’s camp had been “reliably informed of plans by government security agencies to rearrest him immediately upon his release, despite being granted bail by a court of competent jurisdiction.”

“This development is deeply troubling and raises grave concerns about due process, the rule of law, and personal safety,” the statement added, describing the allegations informing the planned arrest as “trumped-up charges”.

Mr Malami’s arrest on Monday began the third phase of his ongoing detention by various agencies since December 8, 2025.

The EFCC detained him from 8 December 2025 to 30 December 2025, when the Federal High Court in Abuja where he and his family members face money laundering charges transferred him to the Correctional Centre in Kuje, Abuja, following his arraignment.

The trial court granted him bail on 7 January but only for him to be rearrested by the SSS upon his release after meeting the bail conditions on Monday.