BREAKING: Former Attorney-General Malami Finally Surrenders To DSS After Days Of Standoff At Kuje Prison

SaharaReporters previously exclusively reported that the DSS had maintained a blockade around the penal advanced since Malami changed into as soon as granted bail, combating his open no matter his compliance with bail conditions. 

Ragged Attorney-Standard of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, has sooner or later surrendered to operatives of the Department of Enlighten Companies (DSS) after days of tension over his stalled bail and a security siege on the Kuje Correctional Facility.

SaharaReporters previously exclusively reported that the DSS had maintained a blockade around the penal advanced since Malami changed into as soon as granted bail, combating his open no matter his compliance with bail conditions. 

Even supposing legally entitled to freedom, Malami remained confined in Kuje Penal advanced, turning what’s going to contain to tranquil had been a routine administrative task accurate into a excessive-profile standoff. 

The narrate escalated last Friday when Malami’s son changed into as soon as arrested whereas allegedly making an try to head away the penal advanced premises amid the clampdown, a switch viewed as tightening notify assign watch over rather than easing it. 

On the modern time (Monday), Malami sooner or later surrendered to the DSS, one week after his bail changed into as soon as stalled, and factual hours after activist Omoyele Sowore publicly announced plans to scamper to Kuje Penal advanced to intervene and relieve actual his open. 

In early January, SaharaReporters exclusively reported that Kuje Penal advanced changed into as soon as placed beneath tight security, with extra than 50 DSS operatives deployed to strategic positions around the power.

Sources described the deployment as a preemptive switch to make certain that Malami, being held on the power doesn’t atomize out an investigation into terrorism-related actions, especially after he changed into as soon as granted bail by the Federal High Court docket in Abuja in his N8.7 billion money laundering case.

On Sunday, SaharaReporters reported that DSS operatives had rearrested Abdulaziz, Malami’s son, at Kuje Correctional Centre in Abuja, following his father’s renewed refusal to head away the power no matter winding up bail procedures.

The incident occurred on Friday when court bailiffs from the Federal High Court docket arrived on the penal advanced with completely processed bail documents to actual Abdulaziz’s open.

On the opposite hand, sources internal the power said Malami reportedly insisted that his son be quietly moved out of the penal advanced with out the same outdated formalities.

Security officers, who had placed the power beneath heightened surveillance, had been said to had been monitoring all actions in and out of the penal advanced following intelligence reviews suggesting makes an try to control Abdulaziz’s open away from public attention.

Consequently, DSS operatives stationed around the correctional centre reportedly profiled every vehicle leaving the premises. Abdulaziz changed into as soon as subsequently intercepted and rearrested quickly after being handed over to these facilitating his open.

“This took build on Friday; the son changed into as soon as taken from bailiffs from the Federal High Court docket who brought completely processed bail papers nonetheless Malami refused to head away, urging that they sneak his son out. Nevertheless the DSS profiled every vehicle leaving and rearrested his son,” a source privy to the incident said.

A security source familiar with the matter said the switch reflects rising unease internal the intelligence community over what they described as “irregular efforts” surrounding the weak licensed real-customary’s capacity to his son’s open.

In slack December, SaharaReporters exclusively printed that Abdulaziz, remanded at Kuje Correctional Centre alongside with his father and his father’s essential other, Hajia Bashir Asabe, had been rushed to the penal advanced sanatorium.

Sources told SaharaReporters that Abdulaziz changed into as soon as admitted for commentary after he with out discover fell sick on Tuesday, December 30.

Earlier, the Economic and Monetary Crimes Price (EFCC) arraigned Malami alongside his fourth essential other, Asabe, and Abdulaziz sooner than Justice Emeka Nwite of the Federal High Court docket in Maitama, Abuja.

The defendants face a 16-count payment of conspiracy, procuring, disguising, concealing, and laundering proceeds of unlawful actions amounting to ₦8,713,923,759.49, contrary to the Cash Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.

On the commencement of proceedings, prosecuting counsel Ekele Iheanacho, SAN, said that the arraignment changed into as soon as to enable the defendants take their pleas. Defence counsel J.B. Daudu, SAN, raised no objection. All three defendants pleaded no longer responsible.

In accordance with court filings obtained by SaharaReporters, the EFCC alleges that Malami aged fronts and company entities, including Metropolitan Auto Tech Ltd and Meethaq Resorts Ltd, to launder public funds whereas rather than job.

Surely one of the costs claims Malami and his son procured over N1,014,848,500 via Metropolitan Auto Tech Ltd between July 2022 and June 2025 to veil the beginning of funds in a Sterling Bank memoir.

Some other alleges that Malami aged N600,000,000 as collateral to actual a mortgage for Rayhaan Resorts Ltd, no matter allegedly incandescent the money changed into as soon as suspicious.

So much of counts accuse the defendants of utilizing properties firm and Bureau De Change operators to hide funds for excessive-cease properties in Maitama, Jabi, Asokoro, Gwarimpa, and Kano, including: N500 million luxurious duplex, Amazon Aspect road, Maitama; N700 million property, Onitsha Crescent, Garki; N850 million Meethaq Resorts, Jabi; N430 million Rhine Aspect road property, Maitama; N537 million properties in Abuja, Kano and Birnin Kebbi.

Two of the properties had been described as “Hamonia Resorts Ltd, Situation 11 Garki” and Meethaq Resorts on Rhine Aspect road in Maitama.

In documents tendered to the court as Proof of Proof, the anti-graft agency listed witnesses including investigators, Bureau De Change operators and bankers.

The EFCC says its officers, Folarin Dare, Chinedu Eneanya and Sani Lukeman, will testify about how petitions and intelligence reviews prompted the probe into “monumental corruption” allegedly linked to the weak minister.

A demand, Hassan Aliyu, reportedly claims his firm’s memoir changed into as soon as aged for suspicious multi-million-naira transactions with out his elephantine records.

Despite the burden of the accusations, Malami and his co-defendants teach they’re innocent. They entered a no longer responsible plea, forcing the case into elephantine trial.