Former Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami (SAN), has accused security agencies of deliberately undermining his constitutional right to fair hearing following his rearrest and detention by the Department of State Services (DSS) after he perfected bail in an ongoing Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) case.
In a statement issued on Saturday by his Special Assistant on Media, Mohammed Bello Doka, Malami said the actions of state agencies amounted to a coordinated attempt to frustrate his effective legal defence and weaken the authority of the courts.
According to the statement, although the Federal High Court granted Malami bail, the EFCC allegedly delayed the submission of his international passports to the court for about one week, despite the documents being a key condition for the perfection of bail. The delay, he said, unnecessarily prolonged his detention and obstructed the execution of a valid court order.
Malami’s media aide further alleged that immediately after he perfected his bail and was released from the Kuje Correctional Centre, operatives of the DSS rearrested him and detained him for five days without access to his lawyers or family members.
He was reportedly held in isolation and only allowed to meet his legal team after prolonged delays, a development the statement described as a grave violation of his fundamental human rights.
The statement said the DSS detention occurred at a critical moment when Malami was required to prepare and open his defence in an EFCC interim forfeiture proceeding before the Federal High Court, arguing that denying him access to counsel during this period directly impaired his ability to consult, prepare filings and give instructions to his lawyers.
Malami’s office described the episode as part of a disturbing pattern in which arrest precedes investigation, with evidence allegedly sought after detention, in clear violation of the rule of law and constitutional safeguards.
“The grant of bail by a court must have meaning. No agency should be permitted to neutralise judicial orders through coordinated delays, rearrests or denial of access to legal representation,” the statement said, warning that such actions undermine the authority of the courts and threaten fundamental human rights.
The allegations followed Malami’s rearrest by DSS operatives on Monday moments after his release from the Kuje Correctional Centre in Abuja, a development that added a new twist to his ongoing legal battle.
Officials of the Nigerian Correctional Service confirmed that Malami was released after meeting the bail conditions imposed by the court. A video that later surfaced online showed him being escorted to a waiting vehicle shortly after stepping out of the prison premises.
The EFCC has denied any involvement in the rearrest. Its spokesperson, Dele Oyewale, maintained that the anti-graft agency did not pick up the former minister after his release from custody.
Malami was granted bail on January 7 by Justice Emeka Nwite of the Federal High Court, Abuja, in the sum of N500 million, with strict conditions including the surrender of his international passport and restrictions on foreign travel.
He was arraigned by the EFCC on December 29, 2025, on a 16-count charge bordering on alleged money laundering involving about N8.7 billion and had been remanded at the Kuje Correctional Centre after failing to meet earlier bail conditions.
While insisting on his readiness to defend himself in court, Malami called on all state institutions to respect court orders, constitutional guarantees and the rule of law.
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