RismadarVoice Reporters
March 17, 2026
The trial of former Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, SAN, his wife, Asabe Rakiya Bashir, and his son, Abubakar Abdulaziz Malami, continued on Monday, March 16, 2026, before Justice Joyce Abdulmalik of the Federal High Court in Maitama, Abuja.
The defendants are facing an amended 16-count charge from the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), accusing them of conspiracy, procuring, disguising, concealing, and laundering proceeds of unlawful activities amounting to N8,713,923,759.49 (over N8.7 billion), contrary to the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.
At the resumed hearing, prosecution counsel J.S. Okutepa, SAN, called Daniel Simon Kwayil, a Union Bank compliance officer, as Prosecution Witness Two (PW2).
Kwayil testified that the EFCC requested documents related to Meethaq Hotels Limited, including account statements and account opening documents, which were subsequently admitted as Exhibit B series.
The witness highlighted several transactions involving the defendants:
• On February 5, 2024, Meethaq Hotels transferred N14 million to Abubakar Malami.
• On March 4, 2024, another N24 million was sent to him.
• Transfers of N24 million and N12.5 million were also made to A.A. Malami & Co on February 3 and May 3, 2024, respectively.
Kwayil confirmed that Asabe Rakiya Bashir, the second defendant, was the sole signatory to the Meethaq Hotels account. He also provided detailed statements showing multiple inflows and outflows from November 2022 to April 2023, including deposits from YMB Energy Limited and other entities.
The prosecution then called Olomotane Egoro, a compliance officer with Access Bank, as Prosecution Witness Three (PW3). Egoro tendered documents relating to accounts of Rayhaan Bustan and Agro Allied Nigeria Limited and Khadimiyya for Justice and Development Initiative, which were admitted as Exhibits C1 and C2.
Egoro testified that:
• Abubakar Abdulaziz Malami was the sole signatory to Rayhaan Bustan and Agro Allied Limited, which received a N400 million loan in October 2020, later fully repaid.
• Funds were transferred from the account to New Horizon Limited in multiple tranches on November 10, 2020.
• The Khadimiyya account recorded multiple deposits from October 2019 to December 2023, totaling N722,986,603.75, while the Rayhaan Bustan account had total lodgments of N1,857,978,100 between March 2020 and January 2025.
During cross-examination, both witnesses stated they were called to testify at the request of the EFCC, were not EFCC staff, and could not verify the purpose of the transactions.
With no re-examination, Justice Abdulmalik adjourned the trial until April 20, 2026, for continuation of proceedings.
