Justice Joyce Abdulmalik of the Federal High Court in Abuja has formally admitted nine documentary exhibits against former Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, SAN. The documents also implicate Malami’s wife, Hajia Bashir Asabe, and his son, Abubakar Abdulaziz Malami.
The EFCC is currently prosecuting the trio on a 16-count amended charge involving conspiracy and the laundering of ₦8,713,923,759.49, funds allegedly derived from unlawful activities.
The documents were tendered through the fourth prosecution witness, Mashelia Arhyel Bata, a compliance officer at Zenith Bank Plc. Guided by prosecution counsel Jibrin Okutepa, SAN, the witness detailed his role in the investigation:
“I work as a compliance officer with Zenith Bank, Maitama branch. My duty includes receiving correspondence from law enforcement agencies and responding accordingly,” he said.
Bata explained that the bank provided records for accounts linked to the defendants and various corporate entities, including Rayhaan Hotels Limited and Nashab Limited. Regarding the volume of evidence, he noted:
“My lord, the documents are nine,” he stated, confirming his ability to identify them when presented in court.
The court admitted the documents, dated between July 2024 and March 2026, as Exhibits D1 to D9. This occurred despite a pushback from defense lead Joseph Daudu, SAN, who remarked that “the dates are almost all in March.”
Further testimony from the witness, led by Ekele Iheanacho, SAN, broke down the transactions within Exhibit D1, which includes Malami’s personal and firm (A.A. Malami & Co) accounts. Bata highlighted that while the accounts were active for over a decade, “there were transfers within that period” specifically between 2015 and 2023.
The witness provided a staggering breakdown of inflows into the accounts:
Nov 11, 2020: ₦194.7 million from New Horizons Limited.
June 24, 2022: ₦622.5 million from Rayhaan Bustan Agro Allied Limited.
July 2022: Two separate ₦250 million inflows from Rayhaan Hotels Limited.
Dec 22, 2022: ₦500 million linked to Rayhaan Bustan Agro Allied Limited.
Faced with the extensive financial data, the defense requested a pause in proceedings to review the new evidence.
“My lord, we need time to go through the nine exhibits tendered,” Daudu said.
Justice Abdulmalik has adjourned the trial to May 13, 2026, for the continuation of the hearing and cross-examination.
