Department of State Services (DSS) has dragged former Attorney-General Abubakar Malami and his son Abdulazeez before a Federal High Court in Abuja on five explosive counts of terrorism financing, aiding terror acts, and illegal firearms possession, marking a dramatic escalation in probes engulfing Nigeria’s ex-top lawyer.
Former Attorney-General Abubakar Malami
Malami faces solo heat in Count One for allegedly “knowingly abetting terrorism financing by refusing to prosecute terrorism financiers whose case files were brought to your office as the Attorney-General,” back in November 2022 at the Justice Ministry, contravening the Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.
Both father and son stand jointly accused in Counts Two to Five for stashing a Sturm Magnum 17-0101 firearm, 16 live Redstar AAA 5720 rounds, and 27 spent cartridges at their Gesse Phase II residence in Birnin Kebbi come December 2025—sans licence—breaching terror prep and Firearms Act provisions.
They pleaded not guilty across the board before Justice Joyce Abdulmalik, who shot down an oral bail bid from defence lead S.A. Alua, SAN, insisting on written motions as “a court of record” before adjourning to February 20 for bail hearing and trial kickoff.
Prosecutor Dr. C.S. Eze pushed for DSS remand pending probe, while the duo—already tangled in separate EFCC money laundering suits—braces for a legal slugfest rooted in Malami’s 2015-2023 AGF tenure.
The charges paint Malami as shielding terror financiers despite dossiers landing on his desk, compounded by home arsenal allegations that transform a family address into an alleged terror prep den under the anti-terror law’s sweep.
Court papers spell out the arms haul violations, from unlicensed pistol grip to ammo stockpiles, punishable by the Firearms Act’s stiff penalties, as DSS vows to dismantle any top-cover for Nigeria’s security scourge.
Malami’s camp eyes bail papers, but the high-stakes face-off spotlights accountability for the kingdom’s chief lawman, with justice now turning the scales on allegations that could rewrite his legacy in stripes.
