News
Alleged N8.7bn scam: EFCC witnesses uncover Bank transactions linking Malami’s Wife, Son
The trial of ex- Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, SAN, alongside his wife, Asabe Rakiya Bashir, and his son, Abubakar Abdulaziz Malami, continued on Monday, March 16, 2026, before Justice Joyce Abdulmalik of the Federal High Court sitting in Maitama, Abuja.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, is prosecuting the defendants on an amended 16-count charge bordering on conspiracy, procuring, disguising, concealing and laundering proceeds of unlawful activities to the tune of N8,713,923,759.49 (Eight Billion, Seven Hundred and Thirteen Million, Nine Hundred and Twenty-Three Thousand, Seven Hundred and Fifty-Nine Naira, Forty-Nine Kobo), contrary to the provisions of the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.
At the resumed hearing of the matter on Monday, prosecution counsel, J.S. Okutepa, SAN, presented Daniel Simon Kwayil, a compliance officer with Union Bank as Prosecution Witness Two (PW2).
After taking his oath, Kwayil told the court that the bank received a letter from the EFCC in 2025 requesting documents relating to Meethaq Hotels Limited, including a forwarding letter, certificate of compliance, account opening package and statement of account of the company with account number 0179011105.
When asked if he could recognise the documents, the witness confirmed that he could identify them, adding that the letter was dated December 23, 2025, on a Union Bank letterhead.
Okutepa then sought to tender the documents as evidence.
Responding, defence counsel J.B. Daudu, SAN, said he had no objection for the time being but reserved the right to raise one if necessary.
Justice Abdulmalik subsequently admitted the documents in evidence and marked them as Exhibit B series.
Led further in evidence, the witness was asked to refer to page 37 of the statement of account.
According to him, on February 5, 2024, there was a payment of N14 million by instant transfer to Abubakar Malami on the order of Meethaq Hotels Limited.
He further stated that on March 4, 2024, there was another transfer of N24 million in favour of Abubakar Malami from Meethaq Hotels Limited.
The witness added that on February 3, 2024, another N24 million was transferred to A.A. Malami and Co on the order of Meethaq Hotels Limited.
Kwayil also told the court that on May 3, 2024, as reflected on page 38, there was a transfer of N12,500,000 in favour of A.A. Malami.
When asked who the signatory to the account of Meethaq Hotels Limited was, the witness replied:
“The sole signatory to Meethaq Hotels Limited is Asabe Rakiya Bashir.” He identified the second defendant, Asabe Rakiya Bashir, in the dock and told the court that her identification card appeared on pages 11 and 12 of the account opening documents.
He also noted that the board resolution on page 10 made her the sole signatory to the account.
Further testifying, Kwayil said the statement of account of Meethaq Hotels Limited spanned pages 34 to 41, showing both inflows and outflows.
According to him, on November 3, 2022, the account received two deposits of N1,745,242.73 and N21,202,209.36.
He said on November 8, 2022, the account received N685,200.00 and N685,400.
The witness added that on November 18, 2022, the account received N1,047,019.55.
He further told the court that on November 28, 2022, the account received N10 million twice from YMB Energy Limited.
Continuing, he said on December 2, 2022, the account received N4,565,320.58, while on December 5, 2022, it received N4,828,880.56.
Kwayil also stated that on December 20, 2022, there was an inflow of N1,83,686.44 into the account.
According to him, on January 10, 2023, the account received N43,177,453.94, and another N4,650,781.50 on the same day.
He added that on January 17, 2023, the account received N915,540.84, while on February 12, 2023, it received N25,483,054.24, all transfers from Meethaq Hotels Limited.
The witness further stated that on March 3, 2025, there was an inflow of N11,166,235.10 from Meethaq Hotels Limited.
He added that on March 14, 2023, the account received N118,814.64.
According to him, on April 3, 2023, another inflow of N13,388,808.38 was recorded from Meethaq Limited account II, while on April 14, 2023, the account received N158,066.73.
Under cross-examination by J.B. Daudu, SAN, the witness told the court that he joined Union Bank in August 2014.
He confirmed that he was not the relationship manager of the Meethaq Hotels account, adding that his office had supervisory responsibilities covering Abuja, Niger and Nasarawa.
Asked how he got to know the second defendant, he said he met her at the Maitama branch where the account was opened, but could not remember the exact date.
He also stated that he requested to see her physically to confirm whether she was the person on the identification card.
When asked if he knew A.A. Malami and Co, the witness, said he knew it belonged to the former Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice.
Asked whether the transactions were commercial in nature, he responded:
“I don’t know because I’m not a party and I don’t know the purpose of the transaction.”
With no re-examination, the witness was discharged.
The prosecution then called Olomotane Egoro, a compliance officer with Access Bank, as Prosecution Witness Three (PW3).
Egoro told the court that in 2025, the bank received a request from the EFCC for documents relating to Rayhaan Bustan and Agro Allied Nigeria Limited with account number 1383843226, and Khadimiyya for Justice and Development Initiative with account number 0828310158.
He said the documents included forwarding letters, certificates of identification, account opening documents, loan offer letter, memorandum of acceptance and statements of account.
According to him, the correspondences were dated February 6 and February 9, 2026.
When the prosecution sought to tender the documents, Daudu objected, arguing that he had not seen the witness’s statement and needed to confirm whether he was testifying on subpoena.
Okutepa, however, drew the court’s attention to the list of witnesses attached to the charge, noting that representatives from several banks, including Access Bank, GTBank and Sterling Bank, were listed.
He cited Section 378 (1) of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA) in support of the prosecution’s position.
In her ruling, Justice Abdulmalik held that since the witness’s bank was listed among those expected to testify, the defence could cross-examine him and request time to study his testimony if necessary.
Daudu subsequently reserved his objection.
The court thereafter admitted the documents in evidence and marked them as Exhibits C1 and C2.
Testifying on Exhibit C1, the witness said Rayhaan Bustan and Agro Allied Nigeria Limited had a sole signatory, Abdulaziz Malami, which was reflected in the loan offer documents.
He added that the loan offer of N400 million was contained in pages 4 to 4E, including the acceptance letter.
Egoro told the court that the loan was disbursed on October 9, 2020, into the account of Rayhaan Bustan Agro Allied Limited and was fully repaid on July 14, 2022.
He further testified that on November 10, 2020, N100 million was transferred from the account to New Horizon Limited.
He added that on the same date, N10,575,360 was also transferred to the same company.
According to him, there were additional transfers of N20 million, N20 million, N20 million, N20 million, and N20 million to New Horizon Limited on the same day.
The witness also said that on October 9, 2020, the account received N400 million, being the principal disbursement under the loan facility.
He added that on the same day, there was a debit of N4 million as management fee and N300,000 as VAT.
He further stated that on November 10, 2020, there was a debit of N1,185,792.35 as main interest liquidation.
Testifying on Exhibit C2, relating to Khadimiyya for Justice and Development Initiative, the witness said the signatories to the account were Abdulkadir Malami, Usman Gotomo Abubakar and Faruku Abubakar.
He said the first inflow into the account occurred on October 17, 2019, when N500,000 was paid by Abubakar Abdulaziz Malami.
He added that another N500,000 was paid by the same person on October 23, 2019.
According to him, on October 28, 2019, the account received N1,720,00.
He further told the court that on October 29, 2019, Musa Yamilu Galadanci paid N1,500,000, while on October 30, 2019, Chimugu Surajo paid N1,200,000.
The witness said that on October 4, 2019, the account received N8 million from Afuwa Services Limited.
He added that on November 5, 2019, A.A. Funtua FX Limited paid N1 million, while on November 6, 2019, there was a cash deposit of N2 million by Faruku Madugu Gwandu.
He also stated that on November 27, 2019, N500 thousand was deposited by Aliyu Gwandu, while on November 28, 2019, Halliru Bala paid N2,500,000.
Egoro told the court that on January 29, 2020, Afuwa Integrated Services Limited paid N10 million, while on January 23, 2020, the same company paid N5 million and another N10 million.
He added that on February 18, 2020, Afuwa Integrated Services Limited paid N1,800,750, while Abdulhamid Ibrahim Ismail paid N5,250,000 on the same day.
According to him, on February 28, 2020, Moriks Global Enterprise paid N2 million, while Abdulshakur Abdulhamid paid N1,500,000 on March 3, 2020.
The witness stated that the total lodgment into the Khadimiyya for Justice and Development Initiative account between October 17, 2019 and December 31, 2023 was N722,986,603.75.
He also told the court that the total lodgment into the Rayhaan Bustan and Agro Allied Limited account between March 26, 2020 and January 31, 2025 was N1,857,978,100.
Under cross-examination, Daudu asked how the witness came to testify in court.
Egoro responded that the EFCC invited him through his bank and not through a subpoena.
Asked whether he was a staff of the EFCC, he said no, adding that he did not know the purpose of the payments reflected in the account statements.
With no re-examination from the prosecution, Justice Abdulmalik adjourned the matter till April 20, 2026 for continuation of trial.
Iran slammed a US blockade around its ports on Monday as a “grave violation” of its sovereignty, as Washington and Tehran’s belligerent rhetoric rattled a fragile truce.
“The imposition of a maritime blockade constitutes a grave violation of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Islamic Republic of Iran,” Iran’s ambassador to the United Nations Amir Saeid Iravani wrote to UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres, in a letter seen by AFP.
The “unlawful” blockade also “constitutes a serious violation of the fundamental principles of the international law of the sea,” Iravani added.
US President Donald Trump ordered a blockade of ships entering or leaving Iranian ports and coastal areas in the Gulf Sunday, following the failure of peace talks over the weekend, warning that any Iranian attack boats that challenged the blockade would be destroyed.
The blockade came into force at 1400 GMT Monday, despite the United States and Iran agreeing to a two-week ceasefire days earlier, with mediator Pakistan and Gulf state Qatar continuing calls for it to be respected as diplomatic efforts continue.
Guterres on Monday called on “all parties” to respect freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz, after Iran and subsequently the United States blocked passage through the critical waterway.
The strait, through which a fifth of global oil and gas flows, has become a key flashpoint as the US and Iran attempt to gain leverage over each other during ceasefire negotiations.
Iravani said the “unlawful” blockade “poses a grave threat to international peace and security and obviously exacerbates the risk of escalation in an already highly volatile region.”
In a second letter, the UN envoy called on Middle Eastern countries hosting US military bases to “cease their internationally wrongful acts.”
Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates and Jordan should pay “compensation for all material and moral damage sustained,” he said.
Former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai has distanced himself from recent media reports linking him to certain political aspirations, saying the comments were made without his knowledge or authorisation.
In a statement issued on Tuesday by his Media Adviser, Muyiwa Adekeye, El-Rufai said the remarks had been attributed to an unnamed individual described in media reports as his political associate, and that he had no hand in them.
“Malam Nasir El-Rufai wishes to dissociate himself from comments regarding political aspirations which have been attributed to someone described by the media as a political associate,” the statement read.
“He did not authorise such comments.”
The disclaimer pointedly underscored El-Rufai’s reputation for speaking his mind directly, with the statement noting that he had been known throughout his public life for the frank articulation of his views.
“He is not about to outsource the expression of his political views and thoughts to others,” the statement added, warning that any future communication from the former governor would come directly from him or through his designated spokesperson.
El-Rufai did not identify the associate in question, nor did the statement specify the nature of the political aspirations that had been reported.
However, the swift and emphatic denial suggests the former governor was keen to prevent any impression that the comments reflected his current political thinking or intentions.
JAMB declares readiness for 2026 UTME, urges parents to protest admission violations
The disclaimer comes amid heightened political activity ahead of the 2027 general elections, a period in which the positions and affiliations of prominent political figures are under intense media and public scrutiny.
El-Rufai, a former Minister of the Federal Capital Territory and two-term governor of Kaduna State, remains one of the most closely watched political figures in northern Nigeria.
His next political move — including which party platform he may adopt ahead of 2027 — has been a subject of widespread speculation.
The Yobe State Police Command said its operatives have arrested three suspected vandals involved in the destruction and theft of transformer components belonging to Yobe State Television at Garin Alkali Booster Station.
The Command, through its Public Relations Officer, SP Dungus Abdulkarim, disclosed this in a statement issued on Tuesday in Damaturu.
According to the Command, the arrest was made on April 14, 2026, by its operatives stationed in Garin Alkali while acting on credible intelligence.
“The arrested suspects are Muhammad Auwali, a.k.a. Aburare, 51, Inusa Lawan, 53, and Hassan Ibrahim, 27, all of Bursari and Gashua axis, Bade LGA. One accomplice identified as Ozu, is currently at large.
“Preliminary investigation revealed that the suspects criminally conspired and vandalised a transformer located at the YTV Booster Station, Garin Alkali, Bursari LGA.
“The suspects dismantled the transformer and sold part of the metal components”, it said.
The Command added that upon interrogation, the suspects confessed to the crime and admitted to selling some of the vandalised transformer parts to Hassan Ibrahim for the sum of N250,000, out of which N150,000 had already been paid.
“Investigation is in progress, after which the suspects will be charged in court for prosecution”, the police command said.
Commissioner of Police Usman Kamfani Jibrin, in the statement, warned scrap metal dealers against purchasing suspected stolen items and urged them to cooperate with security agencies in protecting critical public infrastructure.
He stressed that anyone found involved in such unlawful activities will be dealt with in accordance with extant laws.
Iran slams US blockade as ‘grave violation of sovereignty’
El-Rufai distances self from comments on political aspirations attributed to associate
Doris Ogala raises alarm as Lagos police storm her residence without prior invitation
-
News17 hours agoEx-Gov El-rufai to remain in detention until bail condition is fulfilled
-
News23 hours agoWAR: US, Israel ground Iran’s aircraft
-
News20 hours agoGbajabiamila lauds FCT Minister over landmark Hypercity-Carrefour deal(Photos)
-
News18 hours agoAccreditation begins as 3,000 delegates arrive at ADC national convention venue
-
News15 hours agoReps Halt Payments to ZTE Over CCTV Project, Demand Full Accountability
-
News15 hours agoJust in: ADC, fires Bala, Abejide, others as crisis escalates
-
News22 hours agoSupreme Court to hear appeals on PDP leadership crisis on April 20
-
News22 hours agoTimipre Sylva’s brother, Anagha pleads with court to compel DSS to release him from detention