Crime

EFCC arraigns Malami, wife, son over alleged N8.7bn money laundering

Published

8 months ago

December 30, 2025

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on Tuesday arraigned Abubakar Malami, former Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, alongside Bashir Asabe, his wife and Abubakar Malami, their son, before the Federal High Court in Maitama, Abuja, over alleged money laundering involving N8.7 billion.

The trio appeared before Emeka Nwite (Justice) on a 16-count charge bordering on conspiracy, procuring, disguising, concealing and laundering proceeds of unlawful activities, contrary to provisions of the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.

According to a statement by Dele Oyewale, EFCC’s Spokesman on Tuesday, the alleged offences involve a total sum of N8,713,923,759.49, said to have been laundered through a web of corporate entities and bank accounts between 2022 and 2025.

At the commencement of proceedings, Ekele Iheanacho, prosecuting counsel, informed the court that the matter was slated for arraignment of the defendants on a charge dated December 23, 2025.

“My Lord, this matter is for the arraignment of the defendants on a 16-count charge. We humbly pray that the charge be read to them and their pleas taken,” Iheanacho said.

J.B. Daudu, Counsel to the defendants, did not object, prompting Justice Nwite to order that the charge be read in open court.

“One of the counts alleged that Malami and his son, between July 2022 and June 2025, procured Metropolitan Auto Tech Limited to conceal the unlawful origin of N1.014 billion lodged in a Sterling Bank account, when they reasonably ought to have known that the funds were proceeds of unlawful activities.

Another count accused Malami, his wife and son of conspiring in September 2024 to disguise the unlawful origin of N1.049 billion allegedly paid through the Union Bank account of Meethaq Hotels Limited, Jabi, between November 2022 and September 2024.

The charge further alleged that Malami and his son indirectly took control of N1.36 billion paid through the Union Bank savings account of Meethaq Hotels Limited between November 2022 and October 2025, knowing or having reasonable grounds to suspect that the funds were proceeds of unlawful activities.

Iheanacho told the court that the prosecution was ready to proceed to trial and requested a trial date. He disclosed that the EFCC had been served with a bail application by the defence a day earlier and asked for time to respond.

In response, defence counsel, Daudu, urged the court to grant bail to the defendants orally, arguing that the offences charged were bailable.

“My Lord, having listened carefully to the 16-count charge, this is a proper case for an oral application for bail,” Daudu said, relying on the decision in Abiola v. FRN. He argued that Section 216 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA) does not make a written application mandatory.

The prosecution opposed the oral bail application, urging the court to discountenance it.

“My Lord, we oppose the oral application for bail. The case of Abiola v. FRN relied upon by learned silk is inapplicable to the circumstances of this case,” Iheanacho submitted.

He argued that bail applications must be supported by affidavit evidence, stressing that oral submissions by counsel could not substitute for evidence.

“This is a court of record. Submissions of counsel, no matter how brilliant, do not amount to evidence and cannot replace affidavit evidence,” he said, adding that granting bail orally would amount to ambushing the prosecution.

Iheanacho also urged the court to consider public interest, noting that the case involved serious economic crimes and complex financial transactions.

“The charge before this Honourable Court borders on grave economic crimes involving complex financial networks. Public interest must be taken into account, and the high office previously occupied by the first defendant does not entitle him to any preferential treatment,” he argued.

Inwite held that the prosecution must be given an adequate opportunity to respond to the bail application.

“Having listened to the submissions of learned counsel, the prosecution must be allowed sufficient time to respond,” the judge ruled.

He ordered that the defendants be remanded at the Kuje Correctional Centre and adjourned the matter to January 2, 2026, for hearing of the bail application.

FOLLOW US ON:

FACEBOOK

TWITTER

PINTEREST

TIKTOK

YOUTUBE

LINKEDIN

TUMBLR

INSTAGRAM

Post Views: 505

Crime

Alleged cybercrime: DSS suspends Sowore’s case until after 2027 polls

Published

11 hours ago

August 30, 2026

Oluwagbenga Olaoye

The Department of State Services, DSS, has asked its private counsel, Akinolu Kehinde, SAN, to suspend the alleged cyberbullying case instituted against African Action Congress, AAC, presidential candidate, Omoyele Sowore, until after the 2027 presidential election.

The development followed a meeting between the Director-General of the DSS, Tosin Ajayi, the senior lawyer and top officials of the agency’s Legal Directorate.

The move is aimed at allowing the human rights activist to fully participate in the 2027 elections.

According to Vanguard, a DSS source said Ajayi directed the lawyer and officials of the Directorate of Legal Services that, with the commencement of presidential campaigns, it would only be fair to pause the case.

The source further stated that the case, having been in court for nearly a year, could be suspended for another four months without making much difference.

“The DSS boss told the lawyers that, since the matter had been in court for nearly a year, suspending it for another four months wouldn’t make much difference,” the source added.

According to the source, the DSS is expected to formally communicate its decision to suspend the case to the Federal High Court from September 14, 2026, when the court is scheduled to resume normal sittings after the annual judicial vacation.

FOLLOW US ON:

FACEBOOK

TWITTER

PINTEREST

TIKTOK

YOUTUBE

LINKEDIN

INSTAGRAM

Post Views: 30

Crime

PHOTOS: NDLEA intercepts N6.2bn worth of ‘Jihadi drug’ in Ghana soap, opioids at Lagos airport

Published

11 hours ago

August 30, 2026

Oluwagbenga Olaoye

Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have intercepted consignments of captagon, widely known as ‘Jihadi drug’ and millions of opioid pills worth over N6.2 billion at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Ikeja Lagos.

The captagon shipment was seized at the Lagos airport on Saturday 22nd August 2026 following the arrest of a 49-year-old cross-border kingpin Akinbile Kazeem Aikins, who arrived from Accra Ghana aboard an African World Airlines flight.

A search of his carton of local bathing soap, popularly called “Ghana Soap,” led to the recovery of 47,200 pills of the illicit amphetamine drug worth over N1.5 billion concealed within blocks of soap. Captagon, which is notoriously dubbed the ‘Jihadi drug’ for its use in funding extremist activities in conflict zones, was first intercepted in Nigeria by NDLEA in September 2021 at the Apapa port in Lagos. After his arrest, Akinbile claimed he was meant to deliver the consignment in the North.

In another successful interdiction operation at the Lagos airport, no fewer than 3,900,030 tablets of Tramaking 225mg and Tapentadol 250mg, with a combined gross weight of 2,787.40 kilograms and more than N4.6 billion in street value, were recovered from four abandoned consignments at the import shed of the MMIA. Three of the consignments, comprising 900,000 tablets of Tramaking (815.40kg), arrived aboard RwandAir flights from Bangladesh, while a fourth, comprising 3,000,030 tablets of Tapentadol (1,972kg), arrived on Qatar Airways from Amsterdam.

The shipments, which had been placed under close watch after no one showed up to claim them, were formally retrieved after a joint examination by NDLEA officers, Customs and other stakeholders on Friday 28th August.

A 31-year-old US-returnee, Sowunmi David Oludotun was on 19th August arrested by NDLEA operatives at Ikate area of Lekki after he showed up to take delivery of 3.350 kilograms of Loud, a synthetic strain of cannabis imported from the United Kingdom.

Fireproof safe cracked open in Rivers drug den raid

In Rivers state, NDLEA operatives have raided the notorious Abuja Down/Up area of Port Harcourt where they recovered a fireproof iron safe among other items. When the safe was cracked open with a welding machine on Tuesday 25th August, 237 grams of colorado; 316 grams of cocaine, and 10 grams of heroin were recovered from it.

Three suspects: Oyedele Daniel, 42; Taye Saliu, 36; and Kehinde Saliu, 36, were on Friday 28th August nabbed at Ipele-Idoani road, in Ondo state with a total of 728kg skunk recovered from their truck marked KRE 120 XB. Two other suspects: Uche Joseph, 35, and Godwin Umeh, 21, were arrested at Aponmu forest with 341kg of same substance on Wednesday 26th August.
In Delta state, over 176,000 pills of assorted opioids including tramadol, molly and others were recovered from two interdiction operations in parts of the state between Wednesday 26th and Friday 28th August.

With the same vigour, Commands and formations of the Agency across the country continued their War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) sensitization activities to schools, worship centres, work places and communities among others in the past week. These include: WADA enlightenment lecture to students and staff of Markaz Littahfizul Quran Wal Islamiyyat, Dadin Kowa, Gombe; Zangina Islamiyyah Alasawa Kurna, Ungogo LGA, Kano; youths at the adolescent lifestyle programme organised by NNPCL in Benin city, Edo state; while the Ondo State Command of NDLEA paid a WADA advocacy visit to the State Governor, Dr. Lucky Aiyedatiwa, with the Taraba state command of the Agency paying a similar advocacy visit to the State Governor, Dr. Agbu Kefas, among others.

While commending the officers and men of MMIA, Ondo, and Delta Commands for the various successful operations, Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (rtd) enjoined them and their colleagues across the country to continue with the ongoing balanced approach to the drug control efforts of the Agency.

He also directed them to sustain the momentum against drug traffickers who are desperate to explore every means, including concealment in everyday household items like soap, to move their illicit consignments.

FOLLOW US ON:

FACEBOOK

TWITTER

PINTEREST

TIKTOK

YOUTUBE

LINKEDIN

INSTAGRAM

Post Views: 25

Crime

PHOTOS: Benue varsity student arrested for pouring hot water on roommate

Published

11 hours ago

August 30, 2026

Oluwagbenga Olaoye

The Benue State Police Command has arrested a 500-level student of Fr Moses Adasu University, formerly Benue State University, for allegedly attacking a neighbour with hot water. LawEnforcement

The spokesperson for the command, DSP Peter Aondongu, who confirmed the incident in a statement on Saturday, August 29, 2026 said that an investigation had commenced to unravel the cause of fighting between the two students.

“Yes, it happened yesterday, Friday, August 28, 2026. From the information I have, both students were staying in the same room and had an issue. The suspect allegedly boiled water, added salt and pepper, and poured the mixture on the victim and then locked her inside,” the PPRO said.

“After some time, people became aware of what had happened and were able to intervene and rescue the victim. She was subsequently taken to the hospital for treatment, while the suspect was arrested.

“I don’t have much information yet about the genesis of the disagreement or what led to the incident, but I can confirm that the incident happened. I also understand that both of them are students of the Benue State University.”

Narrating what might have transpired between the two female students, the Students’ Union President, Akighirga Vitalis, who led members of his executive to the hospital, said that Rose explained that there was a disagreement with the suspect identified as Felicia, which allegedly escalated into the violent attack.

Vitalis said that the duo had been living together before disagreements over personal matters began to strain their relationship.

While expressing shock over the condition of the student and condemning the alleged attack, Vitalis described it as “a grave and unacceptable assault on the life and well-being of a fellow student.”

“We are deeply concerned about this incident. The Students’ Union will follow this matter closely until justice prevails,” he said.

The union president assured all that the union would engage relevant authorities and monitor the investigation, as well as any disciplinary process that may arise within the university.

Vitalis said that if the allegations against Felicia are established through due process, the Students’ Union would support the application of appropriate sanctions under the university’s regulations, including expulsion where warranted.

“The Students’ Union will not condone violence or any conduct capable of endangering the life of another student,” Vitalis added.