Mr Malami's arrest on Monday began the third phase of his ongoing detention by various agencies since 8 December 2025.
Operatives of the State Security Service (SSS) arrested former Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice Abubakar Malami shortly after his release from prison in Abuja on Monday.
He was reportedly arrested to face a fresh probe over arms discovered at his house in Birnin-Kebbi, the Kebbi State capital, last December.
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SSS 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).
Mr 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.
As he reached the door of the truck already opened to let him in, he paused to ask for the operatives' identity. "Who is your Oga among you?" Mr Malami asked, then added, "Can I see your ID card?"
It could not be confirmed from the video if his request was granted, but he was seen a moment later sliding into the vehicle through the door behind the driver's seat.
The Cable reported confirming from the SSS the arrest of Mr Malami by the agency's operatives.
Relentless surveillance
Monday's arrest followed weeks of reports of surveillance by the SSS in front of the prison facility since the time Mr Malami, his wife, Asabe Bashir, and son, Abdulaziz Malami, were remanded there over the money laundering charges.
Reports indicated that SSS operatives, poised to arrest Mr 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 SSS 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 rearrest 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 SSS over the arms-related investigation and alleged terrorism financing offences.
But the moment eventually came on Monday when Mr Malami was picked up by SSS 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.
PREMIUM TIMES reported that because the allegation of possession of illegal arms fell outside the EFCC's statutory mandate, the anti-graft agency reportedly handed over the recovered weapons to the SSS for further investigation.
Malami in third phase of detention
Mr Malami's arrest on Monday began the third phase of his ongoing detention by various agencies since 8 December 2025.
The EFCC detained him from 8 December 2025 to 30 December 2025, when the Federal High Court in Abuja where he and his family members face money laundering charges transferred him to the Correctional Centre in Kuje, Abuja, following his arraignment.
The trial court granted him bail on 7 January but only for him to be rearrested by the SSS upon his release after meeting the bail conditions on Monday.
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As of the time the court gave the bail ruling, Mr Malami's wife and son had spent 16 days in custody, having been first detained by the EFCC between 23 December and 30 December, when they were arraigned and subsequently remanded alongside Mr Malami in prison.
Mr Malami, the AGF during former President Muhammadu Buhari's administration between 2015 and 2023, is standing trial alongside one of his wives, Ms Bashir, and his son, Abdulaziz, on 16 counts of money laundering involving about N8.7 billion.
In the charges, EFCC accused them of retention of proceeds of unlawful activity and illegitimate acquisition of assets with funds of suspicious origins.
On the day of the defendants' arraignment on 7 January, the judge, during a separate hearing, ordered the interim forfeiture of 57 properties suspected to be proceeds of unlawful activities allegedly linked to Mr Malami. The properties, allegedly acquired during and shortly after the eight years of Mr Malami as minister, were valued at over N212 billion.
