January 8, 2026 l Dalena Reporters
ABUJA — Former Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, SAN, has reportedly delayed the processing of his bail amid an unusual security standoff at the Kuje Medium Security Custodial Centre in Abuja, where operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS) have been deployed in large numbers as part of what sources say is a pre-emptive move to rearrest him on separate terrorism-related allegations.
Malami who was granted bail by the Federal High Court in Abuja on January 7, 2026, alongside his wife, Hajia Bashir Asabe, and his son, Abubakar Abdulaziz Malami, in their ₦8.7 billion money laundering trial instructed his legal team to slow down the bail processing amid fears that DSS operatives, reportedly numbering over 50 and positioned strategically around the prison, are preparing to immediately detain him again upon his release in connection with a separate terrorism financing investigation.
Sources familiar with developments described the atmosphere at the facility as intense and heavily securitised, with the secret police arriving in a convoy of Toyota Hilux vans and monitoring all entries and exits around the prison gates. Critics interpret the DSS presence as a political and procedural flashpoint that could undermine bail proceedings and the rule of law.
Although the terrorism financing allegation has not been formally included in the charges filed by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), the ongoing investigation predates the money laundering prosecution and stems from purported financial flows linked to insurgency financing and the recovery of looted funds from abroad.
Malami has been held in the VIP segregation cell of the custodial centre, a section previously used for other high-profile detainees. His son remains in the prison clinic, having been admitted for medical observation shortly after their arrival.
The heavy DSS deployment has sparked debate over due process and respect for court orders, with some describing the siege as an implicit threat to judicial independence. Malami’s office has separately alleged that security agencies are poised to rearrest him despite the existing bail order a claim that raises constitutional and legal concerns about personal liberty and state conduct.
The bail granted by Justice Emeka Nwite required each defendant to pay ₦500 million, provide two sureties with verifiable landed property in highbrow Abuja districts, deposit travel documents with the court, and secure surety affidavits of means. Until the conditions are met, Malami and his co-defendants remain in custody.
The tension at Kuje Prison underscores a broader struggle between law enforcement objectives and judicial safeguards, as Nigeria’s authorities pursue high-profile corruption and related allegations against senior figures, amid scrutiny of the methods employed in enforcement and investigation.