NB247
Operatives of the Department of State Security, known as the DSS have arrested the former Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, shortly after his release from Kuje Correctional Centre in Abuja.
He was reportedly arrested on Monday to face a fresh probe over arms discovered at his house in Birnin-Kebbi, the Kebbi State capital, last December.
DSS operatives reportedly arrested him as he was exiting the Kuje Correctional Centre in Abuja, where he had been held since 30 December 2025 over pending N8.7 billion money laundering charges filed against him, his wife and son by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
Malami, released from the Kuje prison after meeting the bail conditions set by the Federal High Court in Abuja regarding the money laundering case, was seen in a viral video being escorted at what was believed to be the front of the prison facility towards a parked black pickup truck.
The Cable reported confirming from the DSS the arrest of Malami by the agency’s operatives.
Monday’s arrest followed weeks of reports of surveillance by the DSS in front of the prison facility since the time Malami, his wife, Asabe Bashir, and son, Abdulaziz Malami, were remanded there over the money laundering charges.
Reports indicated that DSS operatives, poised to arrest Malami, took position in front of the correctional facility for weeks to wait out the former AGF’s detention there and arrest him as soon as he was released.
A press statement by Mr Malami’s aide, Mohammed Doka, shared on the former AGF’s Facebook page on 7 January acknowledged the imminent DSS arrest.
The post, the latest on the Facebook page as of Tuesday morning, said the former minister’s camp had been “reliably informed of plans by government security agencies to re-arrest him immediately upon his release, despite being granted bail by a court of competent jurisdiction.”
“This development is deeply troubling and raises grave concerns about due process, the rule of law, and personal safety,” the statement added, describing the allegations informing the planned arrest as “trumped-up charges”
SaharaReporters reported that the former minister was deliberately slowing down the perfection of his bail to avoid an arrest by the DSS over the arms-related investigation and alleged terrorism financing offences.
But the moment eventually came on Monday when Malami was picked up by DSS operatives after he was signed out of the prison upon fulfilling his bail conditions.
His arrest was reportedly prompted by the discovery of arms at his house in Birnin-Kebbi, Kebbi State, during a raid carried out by the operatives of the EFCC as part of the money laundering investigations.
EFCC operatives raided Mr Malami’s houses and offices in Abuja, Kano and Birnin-Kebbi in December.