Crime
Just In: Malami’s Billions Traced To Abacha Loot, Paris Club Refunds, CBN Agric Loans
Just In: Malami’s Billions Traced To Abacha Loot, Paris Club Refunds, CBN Agric Loans
Just In: Malami’s billions traced to Abacha loot, Paris Club refunds, CBN agric loans. Investigators have linked a bulk of the wealth of Abubakar Malami, the former attorney-general of the federation, to a number of sources, TheCable can report.
At the top of the list are Paris Club refunds made to states, unpaid loans taken from the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) under the anchor borrowers programme, and the restitution of Abacha loot to Nigeria.
Malami has been detained by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) ahead of his arraignment before a federal high court in Abuja.
Properties estimated at over N200 billion have been traced to Malami. The assets are believed to have been acquired when he was attorney-general under former President Muhammadu Buhari from 2015 to 2023.
He has denied all allegations in statements by his media team, alleging political persecution and promising to defend himself in court.
PARIS CLUB REFUNDS
On the legal advice of Malami, the federal government had decided to deduct $418 million from state allocations as payment to consultants over the Paris Club refund.
Nigeria had exited the Paris Club of creditors in 2005 after paying $12 billion in exchange for a write-off of $18 billion of its $30 billion debts accumulated from the early 1980s.
However, the federal government, under former President Obasanjo, paid the $12 billion from the federation purse regardless of how much was owed by the federal, state and local governments to the creditors.
After the states protested, it was decided that they should be refunded since most of the debts were taken by the federal government — with most states not owing foreign creditors.
Consultants were engaged by the federal government to calculate how much was to be refunded to the states, and they charged a commission in excess of $400 million.
The Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) opposed the arrangement, but Malami insisted that the consultants must be paid from state allocations, to be deducted at source.
In a media spat between 2021 and 2022, the NGF accused Malami of pursuing “selfish interest” and alleged that he was working for the consultants rather than in the national interest.
“We’re constrained by the manner in which the honorable attorney-general has been going around various media houses and purporting to create the impression that this is a liability to which governors had committed themselves to and agreed to, even though he is very much aware that that’s not the case,” the NGF said.
“And we reject all of the claims that he has made on this issue. And we also insist that states will not give up on insisting that these purported claims are fraudulent and will not stand as far as governors are concerned and we would take every constitutional and legal means to ensure that these purported consultancy are fully litigated upon by the highest court in the land.”
After initially stopping payment, Buhari later gave his approval, much to the disappointment of the governors.
EFCC investigators have traced the bulk of Malami’s alleged sudden wealth to kickbacks from the deal, sources in the know told TheCable.
ANCHOR BORROWERS’ PROGRAMME
In 2015, the CBN launched the anchor borrowers programme (ABP) — a development finance initiative to boost local food production, create jobs, and reduce food imports.
The ABP was to provide farmers with farm inputs such as seeds, fertiliser and cash for labour, to enable them to increase yields and supply processors.
This was to create a value chain linkage from farm to market and supporting food.
Investigators discovered that Malami used the name of one of his wives, Hajiya Bashir Asabe, to get a N4 billion loan, which was never repaid.
The wife has now been charged to court along with him. The CBN dispensed over N1 trillion on the ABP and is yet to recover over N600 billion, fuelling speculation that a significant portion of the disbursements might have been slush fund for politicians.
ABACHA LOOT COMMISSION
In 2016, Malami hired the services of two Nigerian lawyers — Oladipo Okpeseyi and Temitope Isaac Adebayo — for the repatriation of $321 million stolen by Sani Abacha, the former military head of state.
The repatriation of the stolen funds started before the administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari in 2015.
The monies had been recovered and frozen in 2013 under former President Goodluck Jonathan, but the repatriation process was stalled in 2015 following a lawsuit filed by the Abachas.
From 2013 to 2014, the federal government had engaged the services of Swiss lawyers, Enrico Monfrini and Christian Luscher, to recover the stolen funds from Liechtenstein and Luxembourg — and domiciled the monies with the attorney-general of Switzerland.
Nigeria had paid four percent of the recovered Luxembourg assets as professional fees and expenses to the foreign lawyers, in addition to roughly $6.8 million in fees paid to Monfrini for the Liechtenstein recoveries.
Malami’s Billions Traced To Abacha Loot
Since all the fees had been paid by Nigeria, it was only required that Malami, who was the then AGF, would sign a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Swiss authorities and commit to an undertaking that the funds would be properly utilised.
However, in December 2017, Malami, in a suspicious move, engaged the services of the two Nigerian lawyers, which cost the country $16.9 million as commission and professional fees from the recovered funds.
Malami engaged the two lawyers to duplicate the job of the Swiss lawyers and get their own cut from the already done deal.
TheCable understands that Okpeseyi and Adebayo have been detained and interrogated by the EFCC.
“They made useful statements to the EFCC,” a source in the know told TheCable.
After the disbursement of the duplicated commission, payments were said to have been traced to Malami by investigators at the anti-graft agency.
EFCC Arraigns Former SKye Bank Chairman, Tunde Ayeni For N15.6b Fraud
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, on Monday, May 4, 2026, arraigned a former Chairman, Board of Directors of the defunct Skye Bank Plc, Tunde Ayeni before Justice Jude Onwuzuruike of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, High Court, Apo, Abuja.
Ayeni was arraigned on a 17-count charge bordering on criminal breach of trust, misappropriation and conversion of investors’ funds to the tune N15,665,085,429 (Fifteen Billion, Six hundred and Sixty five Million, Eighty five thousand, Four Hundred and Twenty-nine Naira (N15,665,085,429).
Prosecution counsel E.E. Iheanacho, SAN, informed the court that the matter was slated for arraignment and prosecution ready for trial.
“We have before the court 17-count charge dated April 28, 2026, we humbly apply that the charge be read to the defendant”, he said.
Eereporter.com
Count three of the charge reads: “That you, Tunde Ayeni, whilst being the Chairman, Board of Directors of the defunct Skye Bank Plc between 21st of October, 2014 and 19th November, 2014 at Abuja within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court and having dominion over depositors funds domiciled in the defunct Skye bank Plc’s Suspense Account, committed criminal breach of trust when you dishonestly misappropriated the aggregate sum of Three billion, Two hundred and One million, Five Hundred and Thirty Five Thousand, Four Hundred and Twenty Nine Naira, Forty two kobo(N3,201,535,429.42) by transferring same to Misa Limited’s account No: 1011295717 and 1011295718 domiciled with Zenith Bank in Violation of the Prudential Guidelines and other regulations and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 311 of the Penal Code and punishable under Section 312 of the same Act.
Count five of the charge reads: “That you Tunde Ayeni, whilst being the Chairman, Board of Directors of the Defunct Skye Bank Plc on or about 27th November, 2014, at Abuja within the Jurisdiction of this Honourable Court and having dominion over depositors’ funds domiciled in the defunct Skye bank Plc’s Suspense Account, committed criminal breach of trust when you dishonestly misappropriated the sum of Five Billion, Seventy Eight million, Five hundred and Fifty thousand Naira(N5, 078,550,000) by transferring same to Union Registrar Limited’s Account No: 0003490559 domiciled with Union Bank in violation of the Prudential Guidelines and other Regulations and thereby Committed an offence contrary to Section 311 of the Penal Code and Punishable under Section 312 of same Act.”
Fraud
Ayeni pleaded “not guilty” to the charges when they were read to him.
In view of his “not guilty” plea, Iheanacho prayed the court for a trial date and urged the court to remand the defendant in a Correctional Centre.
Defence counsel, Ahmed Raji Bashir, SAN, informed the court that the charge was given to the defendant on a public holiday adding that he considered it imperative to inform the court. He also prayed the court to release the defendant to him or return him to the custody of the EFCC.
Justice Onwuzuruike adjourned the matter to May 13, 2026, for hearing of the bail application, while the defendant was remanded at the Kuje Correctional Centre pending determination of bail application.
EFCC Arraigns Fake BDC Operator For Alleged N78. 2m Fraud In Onitsha
The Enugu Zonal Directorate of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, has arraigned one Okeke Ejike Callistus, a fake Bureau De Change operator before Justice D. A. Onyefulu of the Anambra State High Court sitting in Onitsha, Anambra State.
Callistus was arraigned on a ten-count charge bordering on forgery and stealing to the tune of N78, 295, 000 (Seventy-eight million, Two hundred and Ninety-five thousand Naira).
Count one of the charge reads: “Mr. Okeke Ejike Callistus (trading under the name and style of Nwachimereze Amen Resources), sometime on the 2nd of May, 2024, at Onitsha, within the jurisdiction of the High Court of Anambra State, did commit a felony to wit: stealing by fraudulently converting to your personal use the sum of N62, 745, 000. 00 (Sixty-two million, Seven hundred and Forty-five thousand Naira) being property of Ezegwu Leonard Chinedu trading under the name and style of Leatez Enterprises and thereby committed an offence”.
Eereporter.com
Count two of the charge reads: “That you, Okeke Ejike Callistus (trading under the name and style of Nwachimereze Amen Resources), sometime between the 3rd to the 7th of May, 2024 at Onitsha, within the jurisdiction of the High Court of Anambra State, did commit a felony to wit: stealing by fraudulently converting to your personal use the sum of N15, 550, 000. 00 (Fifteen million, Five hundred and Fifty thousand Naira) being property of Ezegwu Leonard Chinedu and thereby committed an offence”.
The offence contravenes Section 342 of the Criminal Code Law, Cap 36, Anambra State and punishable under Section 353 (12) of the same Law.
The defendant pleaded “not guilty” to the charges preferred against him by the Commission and in view of his plea, counsel to the EFCC, Assistant Commander of the EFCC, ACE II Rotimi Enitan Ajobiewe prayed the court for a trial date and for the defendant to be remanded at the facility of the Nigerian Correctional Service.
However, defence counsel, Hypolite Ohaneche informed the court about a pending bail application before it, moved it and prayed the court to admit his client to bail.
Ajobiewe opposed the bail application on the ground that “there is likelihood of the defendant jumping bail due to the fact that he previously jumped bail granted him by the Commission”.
After listening to both sides, Justice Onyefulu granted the defendant bail in the sum of N50million with two sureties. One of them must have a tax clearance certificate. The sureties must be related to the defendant, live within the jurisdiction of the court and have a National identification Number.
EFCC
The defendant was arrested when a petitioner, Ezeugwu Leonard Chinedu, claimed that he gave him the sum of N78, 295, 000 for onward transmission to his business partner in China.
Instead of remitting the money, the defendant remitted some and sent telex copies of “ABA Bank of Cambodia” for the outstanding amount, which upon presentation to the partner in China, were found to be fake.
During the course of investigation, the defendant admitted receiving the said sum but added that he diverted part of the money for his personal use.
Nigerian Navy Storms Dayspring Island, Routs Militants, Demolishes Hideout In Cross River
The Nigerian Navy has escalated its offensive against criminal elements in the maritime domain, delivering decisive blows to militant networks operating along the Calabar–Oron channel in Cross River State.
In a series of aggressive clearance operations, personnel of Nigerian Navy Ship (NNS) VICTORY and Forward Operating Base (FOB) IBAKA stormed Dayspring Island following the recent surge in kidnappings and related criminal activities.
The operation was anchored on the establishment of a forward security outpost at Idung 1 (Peacock Crossing), providing a tactical foothold for sustained dominance of the creeks and adjoining waterways.
The rapid offensive forced suspected militants to abandon their positions and flee upon contact with advancing naval troops. Maintaining relentless pressure, Nigerian Navy personnel, in conjunction with troops of the Nigerian Army 13 Brigade, secured key waterways and denied the criminals freedom of movement.
Eereporter.com
Exploitation of the area led to the discovery and destruction of a militant hideout linked to a notorious suspect known as “Juju” in the Idung axis. The suspect fled in disarray, abandoning two boats fitted with outboard engines, which were immediately seized. The hideout was subsequently demolished to eliminate its future use as a criminal sanctuary.
Further tightening the noose, troops tracked and apprehended one suspected informant providing support to the militant network. The suspect is currently in custody, undergoing interrogation and will be handed over to the appropriate authorities for prosecution.
Nigerian Navy
To consolidate operational gains and choke criminal activity, a 13-hour restriction on maritime movement from 5:00 pm to 6:00 am has been enforced within the operational area.
Prior to the intervention, militant elements operated with impunity, conducting kidnappings and extorting riverine communities. The sustained naval onslaught has now degraded their operational capability, disrupted their logistics, and confined their activities deep within the creeks.
The Nigerian Navy remains resolute and will sustain this aggressive posture, ensuring that all criminal elements are flushed out and the maritime environment remains secure for lawful activities.
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