RismadarVoice Reporters, June 23, 2026
The trial of former Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami (SAN), over an alleged N8.7 billion money laundering case continued on Tuesday at the Federal High Court, Maitama, Abuja, with a prosecution witness detailing several high-value transactions linked to one of the entities under investigation.
The witness, Munawwarah Salisu Anas, a Compliance Officer with Jaiz Bank Plc, appeared as the fifth prosecution witness (PW5) in the case instituted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) against Malami, his wife, Hajia Bashir Asabe, and his son, Abubakar Abdulaziz Malami.
The EFCC is prosecuting the defendants on a 16-count charge bordering on conspiracy, procuring, disguising, concealing and laundering proceeds of unlawful activities amounting to N8,713,923,759.49, contrary to the provisions of the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.
At the resumed hearing, prosecution counsel J.S. Okutepa, SAN, informed the court that the matter was scheduled for continuation of trial and subsequently called Anas to testify.
In her testimony, Anas told the court that her role as a compliance officer involves liaising with law enforcement agencies, including the EFCC, on matters relating to financial transactions and regulatory compliance.
She confirmed receiving a request from the EFCC for account-related documents and stated that Jaiz Bank responded through a letter dated February 4, 2026, addressed to the Executive Chairman of the anti-graft agency.
The prosecution tendered the bank’s response and supporting documents as evidence. Although defence counsel, Adedayo Adedeji, SAN, reserved objections until the final written address stage, Justice Joyce Abdulmalik admitted the documents and marked them as Exhibit E Series.
While explaining the contents of the exhibit, the witness stated that it comprised the bank’s forwarding letter, certificate of identification, account opening documents and the statement of account belonging to Alkausar Farm, an entity allegedly linked to the defendants.
Reviewing the account statement before the court, Anas highlighted a series of transactions recorded in the account.
According to her, the account received a cash deposit of N1 million on June 13, 2018, from Hassan Aliyu, and another N2.25 million deposit on June 20, 2018, from Aliyu Mohammed.
She further testified that on December 7, 2018, the account received multiple transfers from Kalamu Wahid Global Concept, including four separate credits of N10 million each and an additional N8 million transfer on the same day.
The witness also disclosed that the account recorded a debit transfer of N45.5 million to Donaliv Global Nigeria Limited on December 18, 2018.
Continuing her testimony, Anas told the court that the account received N26.25 million from Al-Afiya Energy Limited on July 13, 2020, and another N26.25 million from the same company on July 22, 2020.
She added that on July 24, 2020, the account made a N50 million transfer to Sahad Stores Limited and another N1 million transfer to Alfagai Jewellery Nigeria Limited.
The witness further revealed that the account received a transfer credit of N2.03 million on August 12, 2020, following which a cheque withdrawal of the same amount was made by Aliyu Mohammed Hassan.
During cross-examination, Anas confirmed that she was not before the court on the basis of a subpoena.
Responding to questions on whether she knew the purpose of the transactions reflected in the account statement, she stated that the bank monitored such transactions and reported suspicious activities to the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU) when necessary.
Following the conclusion of cross-examination and with no re-examination by the prosecution, the witness was discharged.
Justice Abdulmalik subsequently adjourned the matter until July 17, 2026, for continuation of trial.
