Operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Nigerian Correctional Service (NCoS) clashed on Friday at the Federal High Court, Abuja, over control of the courtroom during a hearing in the money laundering trial of former Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF), Abubakar Malami.
Mr Malami is standing trial along with his son, Abdulaziz Malami, and one of his wives, Asabe Bashir, on N8.7 billion money laundering charges that revolve around alleged illegitimate acquisition of assets and concealment of their illicit origins.
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The EFCC had kept the defendants in a pre-trial detention before it arraigned them before trial judge Emeka Nwite on 30 December (Tuesday).
Following the arraignment, the judge ordered the defendants’ remand in the Kuje Correctional Centre under the supervision of the NCoS and fixed Friday (today) for the hearing of their bail application.
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The court’s decision forced the former AGF and his two family members to pass their first night of the year in prison.
The standoff
The confrontation between officers of the EFCC and the NCoS ensued during the bail hearing on Friday.
Ahead of the proceedings, EFCC officers took over the entrance of the courtroom to control movement in and out.
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In the process, the anti-corruption agency’s officers blocked senior prison officials escorting Mr Malami from gaining entry.
Tension further escalated as both sides argued over who should control security in the court. The courtroom standoff unfolded amid a general tense court environment on Friday. Armed EFCC operatives, with their armoured vehicles, took position at the gate of the court complex.
EFCC operatives blocked intending attendees of the proceedings, including some senior prison officials and journalists, from gaining entry into the courtroom, saying the courtroom had a limited space that cannot accommodate everyone.
But the senior prison officers escorting Mr Malami insisted they must be allowed inside as part of their official duties.
The EFCC operatives maintained the case was under its jurisdiction, but prison officials countered that the anti-graft agency had no authority over courtroom arrangements once the prisoner had been handed over to the court.
Eyewitnesses said the supremacy battle became so tense at a point that the operatives from both the EFCC and the NCoS reportedly drew guns. The shouting match caused panic, forcing court staff and litigants to take cover.
However, normalcy was restored following the intervention of officers from the State Security Service (SSS) and the Chief Security Officer of the Federal High Court.
Arraignment and bail hearing
PREMIUM TIMES reported that Mr Malami was arraigned alongside his son and wife on Tuesday (30 December 2025) on 16 counts of money laundering.
The EFCC alleged that the defendants set up a money laundering scheme to illegally acquire funds and landed assets in Abuja, Kano and Kebbi states, worth billions of naira, and conceal their illicit origins.
The defendants, who were brought to the court by EFCC officers for the arraignment on Tuesday, denied all the charges.
READ ALSO: EFCC, prison officers clash over courtroom control during Malami’s bail hearing
On Friday, the court heard their bail applications, which the EFCC opposed.
Trial judge Emeka Nwite adjourned ruling till 7 January, which amounted to an extension of the defendants’ detention in prison by additional five days.
After Friday’s hearing, the prison officials took the defendants back to custody.
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