$490m Abacha loot probe: EFCC places Malami on daily query

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has disclosed that the former Attorney‑General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, will be facing a team of interrogators in its office daily throughout December 2025.

A credible source in the EFCC disclosed this on Monday, December 1, 2025.

The source revealed that the daily appearance was part of an ongoing investigation into the whereabouts of the $490 million Abacha loot secured through a Mutual Legal Assistance (MLAT) request.

The source said Malami, who was summoned for interrogation by the EFCC last Saturday, was barred from leaving Nigeria for the next one month.

According to the source, one of the conditions for his release on Saturday was that he should report daily to the EFCC headquarters in Abuja for further interrogations.

The source disclosed that Malami would have to appear daily at the commission’s office because of the volume of the investigation and the seriousness of charges against him.

He said: “We seized his passport, it is the normal routine during investigation, but he has to be reporting at the EFCC headquarters Abuja every day for the next one month.

“He will be reporting for further investigation throughout December.

“He will be reporting every day, starting from December 1st to December 31st.”

Malami denies EFCC allegations, says Abacha loot probe baseless

The source further revealed that a fact‑sheet on the former minister revealed that Malami had several issues to clarify with the EFCC within the coming weeks.

The source told NAN: “We have asked him to explain the whereabouts of the $490 million Abacha loot secured through MLAT.

“We didn’t say he stole money, but he should account for the loot. This is one of the issues he will clarify to our investigators.”

The commission cited the huge volume of documents he must go through and the need for extensive interviews as reasons for seizing his passport.

The source said the EFCC would not engage in a war of words but would release its findings after a thorough investigation.

Malami in a statement issued on Monday by his media aide, Mohammed Doka, however, described the anti-graft agency’s investigation as a political witch‑hunt.

He confirmed that he honoured an EFCC invitation on November 28, describing the engagement as fruitful and expressing confidence that the probe would vindicate him.

The former AGF described the EFCC’s allegations as baseless, illogical, and devoid of substance, insisting they collapse under factual scrutiny.

The Star