Terrorism-financing charge against Malami dropped. Prosecutors yet to reveal why
The Federal Government has removed the terrorism-financing allegation from the charge against former Attorney-General of the Federation Abubakar Malami (SAN) and his son, Abdulaziz, in a development that significantly narrows the scope of one of the most politically charged prosecutions in recent Nigerian legal history.
The amendment was made on Wednesday before Justice Joyce Abdulmalik of the Federal High Court in Abuja, the very day the trial had been scheduled to begin.
Akinlolu Kehinde, counsel to the Department of State Services (DSS), informed the court of the amendment and applied to substitute the original charge.
The amended charge now borders solely on illegal possession of firearms, with the prosecution alleging that arms and live cartridges were found at Malami’s residence in Birnin Kebbi, Kebbi State.
Shaibu Aruwa, counsel to the defendants, confirmed that his clients had been served with the amended charge and did not object to it being read in court. The charge was subsequently read to both defendants, who pleaded not guilty. Justice Abdulmalik allowed the defendants to continue on the existing bail terms granted on February 27 and adjourned the case to May 26 and June 15 for trial.
The dropped count was the most explosive of the original five charges. Malami had been accused of knowingly abetting terrorism financing by allegedly refusing to prosecute suspected terrorism financiers whose case files were forwarded to his office during his tenure as AGF — an offence said to be contrary to Section 26(2) of the Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.
That allegation, which formed the core of the DSS case when Malami and his son were first arraigned on February 3, has now been excised from the charge sheet.
The development raises immediate questions about the strength of the government’s case and why the most serious allegation was withdrawn on the morning of the trial, without public explanation.
Malami served as AGF and Minister of Justice under former President Muhammadu Buhari from 2015 to 2023. He and his son were each granted bail of ₦200 million with two sureties in like sum when they appeared before the court in February.
