Nigeria’s justice system was placed under renewed public scrutiny on Tuesday as a former Attorney-General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami, and his son, Abdulaziz, were arraigned before the Federal High Court in Abuja over allegations linked to terrorism financing and illegal possession of firearms.
The defendants appeared before Justice Joyce Abdulmalik, where prosecutors said the Federal Government had filed a five-count charge accusing Malami of abusing his former office and both men of conduct related to terrorism and firearms offences.
According to the prosecution, led by Callistus Eze, the charges were formally dated February 2 and filed a day later, prompting the court to order that they be read to the defendants, who subsequently pleaded not guilty to all counts.
The prosecuting counsel asked the court to fix a date for trial and requested that the defendants be remanded in the custody of the Department of State Services, pending further proceedings, a move he said was in line with the gravity of the allegations.
Defence counsel, Shuiabu Arua, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, urged the court to grant bail, arguing that the defendants had already spent about two weeks in custody and arrived in court directly from medical care.
Justice Abdulmalik, however, declined the oral application, reminding counsel that the Federal High Court is a court of record and directing that a formal bail application be filed and served before it could be considered.
Court documents indicate that Malami alone is accused of knowingly abetting terrorism financing while in office, following allegations that he failed to act on case files involving suspected terrorism financiers brought before him in November 2022.
In the remaining counts, Malami and his son are jointly accused of preparatory acts connected to terrorism and unlawful possession of a firearm and ammunition, allegedly discovered at their residence in Birnin Kebbi, Kebbi State, in December 2025, as the court adjourned the case until February 20 to begin trial and hear the bail application.
