EFCC seals Malami’s house where Buhari’s daughter resides
Operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, on Wednesday evening sealed off a residence linked to a former Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, SAN, in what sources described as a major escalation in an ongoing high-profile corruption investigation.
Sources said several EFCC vehicles, backed by armed operatives, were deployed to the property where Nana Hadiza Buhari, his third wife and daughter of former President Muhammadu Buhari, was said to be present at the time of the operation.
The development comes amid Malami’s continued detention by the anti-graft agency over a wide-ranging probe bordering on alleged corruption, money laundering, terrorism financing and controversies surrounding the management of recovered Abacha loot.
Investigators are also said to be examining multiple bank accounts and suspicious financial transactions allegedly linked to his tenure in office.
Mr Malami served as Nigeria’s chief law officer from 2015 to 2023. He married Nana Hadiza Buhari in July 2022 in a private ceremony held at the Presidential Villa Mosque, Aso Rock, during the final year of the Buhari administration. She is the former president’s third daughter.
EFCC officials have maintained that although Malami was earlier granted administrative bail, which was revoked after he allegedly failed to meet key conditions attached to it.
The commission insisted he remains in lawful custody pending further compliance and extended interrogation.
The decision to deploy operatives to Malami’s residence is viewed as a significant intensification of the investigation, which has dominated national discourse and reignited debate over the scope, independence and methods of Nigeria’s anti-corruption agencies, particularly in cases involving politically connected figures.
As of the time of filing this report, neither Malami’s legal team nor representatives of the Buhari family had issued an official statement on the operation.
EFCC spokesperson, Dele Oyewale, also declined to comment on the operation, citing the sensitivity of ongoing investigations.
