Nigeria’s state police have filed five counts of terrorism-related and firearms offences against former justice minister Abubakar Malami and his son, Abdulaziz, months after both were charged in a separate money laundering case.
Prosecutors allege that in November 2022, Malami knowingly aided terrorism financing by failing to prosecute suspected financiers whose case files were submitted to him during his tenure as attorney general.
The two pleaded not guilty and were remanded in the custody of the Department of State Security after the court declined an oral bail request, setting the start of trial for February 20.
The new charges deepen Malami’s legal challenges, which already include ongoing money laundering proceedings and an asset forfeiture case before the Federal High Court.
In December, he was accused of 16 counts of money laundering and conspiracy involving large sums of money, while prosecutors also alleged that Malami and his son were found in possession of a firearm and ammunition without a valid licence in December 2025.
Defence lawyers argued that the pair had spent two weeks in detention and were brought to court from a hospital, but the judge directed that any bail request must be made through a formal application, noting that the alleged offences carry penalties under Nigerian law.
