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.

By Adedapo Adesanya

Vice President Kashim Shettima has formally opened the Nigeria House in Davos as the 2026 World Economic Forum kicks off in Switzerland.

The unveiling, which took place on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum, marks the first time Nigeria is establishing a House in Davos.

The Nigeria House is designed to serve as a strategic hub for engaging global investors and promoting key sectors of the Nigerian economy.

The facility will provide a platform for investment discussions, partnerships and policy engagements aimed at attracting foreign direct investment into the country.

Members of the Nigerian delegation, alongside foreign partners and stakeholders, were present at the official opening of the Nigeria House.

Speaking on the initiative, the Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Mrs Jumoke Oduwole, said Nigeria is showcasing four major investment areas at the forum—solid minerals, sustainable agriculture, the creative industry and the digital economy.

The country said it will use this year’s Davos forum to press its case as a stable, reforming economy at a time when global investors are pulling back from emerging markets and geopolitical tensions are reshaping capital flows.

The forum’s theme, The Spirit of Dialogue, aligns with Nigeria’s strategy of pairing macroeconomic reforms with sustained engagement with investors, development partners, and global policymakers.

“At a time of heightened uncertainty, the world is looking to Nigeria as a pillar of economic stability in Africa — not only because of its size, but because of the reform choices it has made,” according to the Ministry of Finance.

“This positioning places Nigeria firmly within the global dialogue on how emerging markets can navigate volatility while sustaining reform momentum.”

According to the ministry, Nigeria’s message in Davos is straightforward: the country intends to stay the course on market-oriented reforms, maintain macroeconomic discipline, and protect institutional credibility, including the operational independence of the Central Bank of Nigeria, as a foundation for price stability and investor confidence.

Meetings in Davos will focus on deepening dialogue with global investors, development finance institutions, credit ratings agencies, and multinational companies.

The aim, according to the ministry, is to address lingering concerns around policy consistency, foreign-exchange stability, inflation, and fiscal sustainability, while reinforcing Nigeria’s ambition to act as a reform anchor in Africa’s largest economy.

By Aduragbemi Omiyale

An indefinite strike action has been embarked upon by employees of the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA).

The aggrieved workers grounded activities of the administration on Monday as they ask for improved working conditions.

The staff members of the FCTA and the Federal Capital Development Authority (FCDA) were seen outside their secretaries this morning discussing how they have made efforts to avert this action, supported by the Joint Union Action Committee.

Workers and visitors could not access the main gates of the secretariats of the FCTA and FCDA on Monday morning because of the industrial action.

Meanwhile, the Minister of the FCT, Mr Nyesom Wike, described the action of JUAC as unnecessary, ill-motivated and obviously aimed at achieving purposes other than the welfare of the workers.

In a statement by his spokesman, Mr Lere Olayinka, on Monday, the immediate past Governor of Rivers State said that 10 out of the 14 demands of the striking workers have been met, adding that other demands are being looked into with a view to addressing them.

“In one of the meetings held with Joint Union Action Committee (JUAC) leaders on Friday, January 16, the demands as well as the interventions of the FCT Minister were laid bare, and at no point did the Minister express unwillingness to address any of the demands.

“Appeal was made to JUAC Officials that other pending issues were not severe enough to warrant the declaration of strike action, and that dialogue should be adopted in resolving all other issues affecting staff welfare in the FCTA.

“For instance, one of the demands made was non-payment of the outstanding five months Wage Award, payment of which has commenced. Also, the outstanding 13 months Hazard Allowance and 22 months Rural Allowance for Health Workers have been fully paid by the administration,” parts of the statement stated.

“The workers also listed non-payment of 2023 promotion arrears and outstanding 2024 promotion arrears as part of their demands. Meanwhile, the outstanding arrears in the sum of N286,166,772.46, covering 724 Officers across 24 SDAs was approved by the Minister in December 2025 and being processed for payment to the beneficiaries.

“On elongation of tenure of retired Directors and Permanent Secretaries in violation of the Public Service Rules, this has been resolved with the Minister assuring the workers of strict compliance with the Public Service Rules.

“JUAC also raised the issue of lack of training and retraining of staff, and on this, all SDAs have been directed to forward general and specialised training needs to the permanent Secretary, Common Services, for onward submission to the office of the Head of Service for further necessary action,” it added.

“Another issue is non-remittance of National Housing Funds (NHF) deductions and Pension Contributions since May, 2025, which is the function of workers themselves and has nothing to do with the Minister or the FCTA management. The Head of Service has therefore constituted a Committee comprising the workers to holistically address all issues relating to all deductions and remittances.

“On a claim of defective promotion examination process with a pass rate of about 22.5 per cent, it was pointed out that the figures and percentage presented by JUAC had no official backing, and they were therefore advised to await the formal release of the results of the promotion examinations as directed by the Minister.

“Also, the issue of overstay of Overseeing Directors has been reasonably addressed by the conduct of the 2023 promotion for eligible Deputy Directors, while the release of the just concluded 2024 staff promotion by the FCT Civil Service Commission will conclusively address the matter.

“In all, it can be seen that the FCT Minister has made concerted efforts to address the demands of the workers and he will continue to accord them top priority.

“From all indications, therefore, and considering all the efforts already made by the Minister in acceding to almost all the demands as well as explanations by the FCTA management staff in the meetings held, the strike action embarked on by JUAC is unnecessary, ill-motivated and obviously aimed at achieving purposes other than the welfare of the workers.

“The FCTA also call on security agencies to ensure that workers who have opted not to be part of the strike have access to their offices so as to carry out their lawful duties unhindered,” the statement said.