By Suleiman Anyalewechi
The travails of the immediate past Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, continued on Tuesday, February 3, 2026, with the Department of State Service, DSS, arraigning him and his son before an Abuja Federal High Court on a five-count charge bordering on alleged terrorism financing, illegal possession of firearms, and aiding and abetting terrorism.
The DSS is prosecuting Malami before Justice Joyce Abdul-Malik for allegedly “knowingly aiding and abetting terrorism by refusing to prosecute suspected terrorism financiers whose case files were said to have been brought to his office as the Attorney General and Minister of Justice.”
Malami had served as the country’s Attorney General and Minister of Justice for eight years under the administration of the late president Mohammadu Buhari, between 2015 and 2023.
He is presently also being prosecuted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission EFFC, alongside his wife and son in two separate cases bordering on alleged diversion of public funds, money laundering and unlawful acquisitions of properties to the tune of over N213 billion.
Malami and his son were also charged by the DSS under count two to five with alleged unlawful possession of firearms as well as financing of terrorism activities.
“That you, Abubakar Malami of Gesse Phase II Area, Birnin Kebbi LGA, Kebbi State, Adult, male, sometime in November 2022 at Federal Ministry of Justice, Maitama, Abuja, within the jurisdiction of this honourable court, did knowingly abet terrorism financing by refusing to prosecute terrorism financiers whose casefiles were brought to your office as the Attorney-General of the Federation, for prosecution, and thereby committed an offence contrary to and punishable under Section 26 (2) of Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.
“Abubakar Malami and Abdulaziz Abubakar Malami of Gesse Phase II, Area, Birnin Kebbi LGA, Kebbi State, adults, males, sometime in December, 2025, in your residence at Gesse Phase II Area, Birnin Kebbi LGA, Kebbi State, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, did engage in a conduct in preparation to commit act of terrorism by having in your possession and without licence, a Sturm Magnum 17-0101 firearm, Sixteen (16) Redstar AAA 5°20 live rounds of Cartridges and Twenty-Seven (27) expended Redstar AAA 5’20 Cartridges, and thereby committed an offence contrary to and punishable under Section 29 of Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.
“That you, Abubakar Malami and Abdulaziz Abubakar Malami, of Gesse Phase II Area, Birnin Kebbi LGA, Kebbi State, adults, males, sometime in December 2025, in your residence at Gesse Phase II Area, Birnin Kebbi LGA, Kebbi State, within the jurisdiction of this honourable court, without licence, did have in your possession a Sturm Magnum 17-0101 firearm, and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 3 of Firearms Act 2004 and punishable under Section 27 (1) of the same Act.
“That you, Abubakar Malami and Abdulaziz Abubakar Malami, of Gesse Phase II Area, Birnin Kebbi LGA, Kebbi State, adults, males, sometime in December, 2025, in your residence at Gesse Phase II Area, Birnin Kebbi LGA, Kebbi State, within the jurisdiction of this honourable court, without licence, did have in your possession sixteen (16) Redstar AAA 5’20 live rounds of cartridges, and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 8(1) of Firearms Act 2004 and punishable under Section 27 (1) of the same Act. COUNT FIVE
“That you, Abubakar Malami and Abdulaziz Abubakar Malami, of Gesse Phase II Area, Birnin Kebbi LGA, Kebbi State, adults, males, sometime in December, 2025, in your residence at Gesse Phase II Area, Birnin Kebbi LGA, Kebbi State, within the jurisdiction of this honourable court, without licence, did have in your possession twenty-seven (27) expended Redstar AAA 5’20 cartridges, and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 8(1) of Firearms Act 2004 and punishable under Section 27 (1) of the same Act.”
The case was adjourned till February 20, for the hearing and determination of a bail application filed by Malami’s counsel S. A. Alua SAN.
The trial Judge, Honourable Justice Abdul-Malik had earlier rejected an oral bail application filed by the defendants on the grounds that the “court is a court of record” and as such will only entertain a written application.
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