The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has once again detained former Minister of Justice and Attorney General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami (SAN), for questioning over multiple allegations.

Sources confirmed that Malami was arrested late Monday and spent the night attempting to meet stringent bail conditions, which required two permanent secretaries to stand as sureties.

“EFCC arrested Abubakar Malami again; he was looking for two Permanent Secretaries for bail conditions on Monday night,”
a source familiar with the investigation revealed.

Earlier Invitation and Public Statement

This latest detention comes days after Malami publicly disclosed on November 28 that the EFCC had invited him for clarification on unspecified matters. In a Facebook post, he maintained that he was a law-abiding citizen ready to honour the invitation.

He was interrogated and granted bail during that earlier visit but was nearly held overnight due to incomplete bail documentation.

Following his release, Malami issued another statement via his X (formerly Twitter) handle, describing the allegations against him as fabricated.

“The engagement was successful and I am eventually released… as the truth relating to the fabricated allegations continues to unfold,” he wrote.

Malami Denies Allegations Over Abacha Loot Recovery

Malami has strongly refuted EFCC allegations suggesting he duplicated the process of recovering the $310 million Sani Abacha loot — which had grown to $322.5 million with interest.

In a detailed rebuttal signed by his media aide, Mohammed Doka, Malami dismissed the claims as “baseless, illogical, and devoid of substance.”

He argued that:

• No previous administration had completed the recovery process before he assumed office in 2015.
• A recovery is only complete when the funds enter the Federation Account — which had not happened as of 2016.
• Swiss lawyer Enrico Monfrini reapplied for re-engagement in December 2016, proving the recovery was incomplete.

Malami further noted that Monfrini demanded:

• A $5 million upfront deposit, and
• 40% success fee, later reduced to 20%.

The Buhari administration rejected these terms and instead hired a Nigerian law firm for a 5% success fee, in line with government policy.

According to Malami:

• This decision saved Nigeria 15%–35% of the recovered assets,
• Amounting to ₦76.8 billion to ₦179.2 billion at an exchange rate of ₦1,600 per dollar.

“Any claim suggesting abuse of office or money laundering regarding the $322.5 million is not supported by facts or logic,” he stated.

Ongoing Probe

Malami has since confirmed that he is scheduled for further engagements with investigators as the EFCC continues its probe into the allegations.