Power is indeed transient. Between 2015 and 2023, Abubakar Malami held the reins of power as the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice.
Less than three years later, no one, even in their wildest imagination, would have suggested that a time would come when the ever-powerful former minister, the chief hunter and a major player in the Muhammadu Buhari administration would become the hunted.
On Wednesday, January 7, 2026, Justice Emeka Nwite of the Federal High Court in Abuja granted bail in the sum of N500 million to Malami, his wife, and son, who were standing trial for an alleged money laundering charge. Malami and his family were remanded at the Kuje Correctional Centre.
As if all these were not enough trouble for the once untouchable Malami and his family, news also broke that the court had issued an order for the interim forfeiture of 57 choice properties linked to the family, worth a whopping N213.2 billion.
The listed assets include university buildings, hotels, schools, filling stations, warehouses, residential buildings, plazas, shops, factories and large parcels of land across the four states and the Federal Capital Territory.
The former AGF was reputed to be among the elite and A-list members of the cabal in the administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari. He was reportedly influential and a power broker whose words were law. Many respected him, while others dreaded him because of his connection to the Buhari family. He was one of those who could see the former president any time. He even got married to one of the president’s daughters, Nana, in 2022.
Although he was granted bail alongside his family, it seems it is not yet Uhuru for him as he was again rearrested last Monday by the operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS). The move follows a fresh DSS investigation into arms and ammunition allegedly found at his Birnin Kebbi residence.
Before his arrest, Malami had dumped the All Progressives Congress (APC) for the African Democratic Congress (ADC) and formally declared his intention to contest the 2027 Kebbi governorship election, promising to “restore hope” to the state.
It was gathered that shortly after his arrest, his residence at Gesse Phase II, Birnin Kebbi, which was once a Mecca of sorts, had suddenly become a ghost town as many of his supporters had abandoned the once bubbling home.
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