EFCC: We Granted Malami Compassion on Health, But He Offered No Proof

Eshioromeh Sebastian, Abuja

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has provided a detailed account of events leading to the continued custody of former Attorney-General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami, SAN, stating it acted on compassion regarding his health plea but that he failed to substantiate his claims.

This clarification comes as the former minister spent his sixth consecutive night in EFCC detention.

The Commission, in a statement on Saturday, clarified that its offer of administrative bail to the former Minister remains valid but unfulfilled, countering narratives of a politically motivated detention.

Malami has been held since Monday, December 8, 2025, after failing to meet the bail conditions set by the anti-graft agency, which is investigating him for 18 offences, including alleged abuse of office and terrorism financing.

“Administrative bail is a discretionary temporary reprieve that allows a suspect to be released on stated conditions pending conclusion of investigation and arraignment in court,” the EFCC said.

The anti-graft agency outlined that following an interrogation session on November 28, 2025, Malami was offered provisional bail contingent upon meeting five specific requirements. “He has neither met any of the requirements nor shown readiness to keep faith with them,” the Commission stated.

According to the EFCC’s timeline, Malami was due to return for further interrogation on December 1, 2025. Instead, the Commission received a written plea from the former Minister on December 4, 2025, requesting an adjournment to attend to an ‘ill-health’.

“The Commission compassionately granted his plea even while his bail conditions had not been met,” the statement read, noting that his reporting date was deferred from December 1 to December 4 on those grounds.

However, the EFCC emphasised a critical lapse: “Malami neither provided a medical report nor credible proof of ill-health to the EFCC.”

With no proof furnished and the initial bail conditions still pending, the Commission decided to proceed. “The EFCC cannot allow the latitude granted the former Minister on his health stand in the way of investigations. On this score, he was invited again on December 8, 2025 for further interrogation and detained until the pending bail conditions are met,” the statement explained.

The Commission’s stance places it in direct contradiction to public statements from Malami’s camp. Prior to his detention, the former AGF had vehemently denied the allegations against him, particularly those linking him to terrorism financing and the operation of 46 bank accounts, which he described as “false, baseless and part of a coordinated media trial.”

Through his media aide, Malami had argued that the allegations were inconsistent with his record in office, citing his role in establishing the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit and championing the passage of major anti-financial crime legislation.

He stated that his prosecution focused on an alleged duplication of processes in the recovery of the Abacha loot, a claim he dismissed, explaining the intricate details of the repatriation processes and the cost-saving measures his office implemented.

The EFCC firmly dismissed Malami’s more recent public claims of a revoked bail and political restrictions as “untenable” and “ridiculous.”

“It is equally ridiculous to insinuate that the Commission barred him ‘from granting media interviews and from participating in political activities in Kebbi State’. Such bogus claims from a former chief law officer of the nation are strange, as the EFCC has no interest in the political affiliation of its suspects. It bears reiterating that the Commission is apolitical. A former governor and ranking member of the ruling party was recently arraigned for alleged contract fraud,” the EFCC asserted.

Consequently, the EFCC advised the former Minister to focus on the legal process. The Commission advised Malami to expend his energy on meeting the five bail conditions he acknowledged and signed on November 28, 2025.

“It would also serve his interest to cooperate with his team of interrogators rather than dissipate energy in whipping up sentiments through false claims in the media.”