January 8, 2026 | Exclusive Report | SUNTV Global Channel
Former Minister of Justice and Attorney General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami (SAN), has reportedly slowed down the processing of his bail following an overwhelming deployment of operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS) to the Kuje Medium Security Custodial Centre (MSCC), Abuja, SUNTV Global Channel has reliably learnt.
Sources familiar with the development disclosed that Malami instructed his legal team to deliberately delay the completion of his bail conditions amid fears that DSS operatives were poised to re-arrest him immediately upon release in connection with an ongoing investigation bordering on alleged terrorism financing.
SUNTV Global Channel gathered that the Kuje Custodial Centre has remained under intense security surveillance since Wednesday after over 50 DSS operatives arrived at the facility in a convoy of about six Toyota Hilux vans, taking strategic positions around the prison.
Multiple sources described the atmosphere at the prison as tense and unusual, with the operatives establishing a tight security perimeter around the main gates while closely monitoring all movements in and out of the facility.
“The presence of the DSS is unmistakable. They are clearly there on standby,” a senior security source told SUNTV Global Channel.
According to sources, the deployment was a preemptive security move aimed at ensuring that Malami does not evade a parallel investigation into terrorism financing, especially following the Federal High Court’s decision to grant him bail in his ongoing ₦8.7 billion money laundering trial.
“Malami has slowed down his bail processing because the DSS operatives are waiting to arrest him the moment he steps out,” a top security source revealed.
“He has told his lawyers to step down the bail process because over 50 DSS officers have effectively laid siege to the prison, waiting to pounce on him.”
SUNTV Global Channel further learnt that Malami has remained inside the prison’s VIP segregation cell, a special holding area reportedly refurbished by former police intelligence chief Abba Kyari.
The facility has previously housed other high-profile detainees, including Prince Emmanuel Kanu, the younger brother of detained Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) leader, Nnamdi Kanu.
“Malami is staying put in the VIP segregation cell. He has not made any move to leave,” one of the sources confirmed.
Meanwhile, Malami’s son, Abdulaziz Abubakar Malami, who was remanded alongside his father and Malami’s fourth wife, Hajia Bashir Asabe, remains admitted at the prison clinic.
Sources disclosed that Abdulaziz was rushed to the clinic shortly after their arrival at Kuje following complaints of ill health and has remained under observation.
“Malami’s son is still at the clinic. He complained of illness immediately after arriving at the facility,” a source said.
Malami, his son, and Bashir Asabe were arraigned on December 30, 2025, before Justice Emeka Nwite of the Federal High Court, Maitama, Abuja, by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
They are facing a 16-count charge bordering on conspiracy, procuring, disguising, concealing, and laundering proceeds of unlawful activities amounting to ₦8.71 billion, contrary to the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.
On Wednesday, Justice Nwite granted the defendants bail in the sum of ₦500 million each, with two sureties who must own verifiable properties in Asokoro, Maitama, or Gwarinpa areas of Abuja.
The court also ordered the verification of property documents by the Deputy Chief Registrar, the submission of travel documents, and barred Malami from travelling outside Nigeria without prior court approval.
Although Malami has not been formally charged with terrorism financing, he has remained under the radar of Nigerian security agencies over alleged links to financial flows associated with insurgent activities.
Sources previously disclosed that investigations initially tied to his detention in December also touched on terrorism financing and the handling of recovered Abacha loot from Switzerland and the Island of Jersey in the United Kingdom.
Retired Nigerian Army General Danjuma Ali-Keffi, who once led the counter-terrorism task force Operation Service Wide (OSW), had earlier revealed that investigations into Boko Haram financiers uncovered links to politically exposed individuals.
Ali-Keffi clarified that he was not directly accusing Malami or other named figures of terrorism financing but said intelligence investigations linked them to some suspects.
He also alleged that Malami interfered with OSW operations by removing a key prosecutor and influencing decisions that allegedly led to the release of certain suspects.
With DSS operatives maintaining a tight watch around Kuje Prison and Malami reportedly opting to remain in custody rather than risk immediate re-arrest, the unfolding drama signals a deepening legal and security standoff that could further complicate the former Attorney General’s legal troubles.
SUNTV Global Channel will continue to monitor developments and provide updates as events unfold.
