Operatives of the Department of State Services have re-arrested former Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, shortly after his release from the Kuje Correctional Centre in Abuja.

Security sources disclosed that Malami was taken into custody on Monday immediately after perfecting his bail conditions, following fresh allegations bordering on terrorism financing.

According to the sources, DSS operatives intercepted Malami as he exited the correctional facility, weeks after he was granted bail by the Federal High Court.

Officials of the Nigerian Correctional Service confirmed that the former AGF was released after meeting all bail requirements imposed by the court.

However, efforts to obtain official confirmation from the DSS proved unsuccessful as of the time of filing this report.

Malami’s release followed a ruling delivered on January 7, 2026, by Justice Emeka Nwite of the Federal High Court, Abuja, granting bail to him, his wife Asabe, and their son in the sum of ₦500 million each.

The court ordered each defendant to produce two sureties with verifiable landed property in Asokoro, Maitama, or Gwarimpa, submit property documents to the court, and file affidavits of means.

They were also directed to surrender their international passports and barred from travelling outside the country without court approval.

Malami and his family members had earlier been remanded at Kuje Prison following their arraignment by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission on December 29, 2025, over a 16-count charge bordering on money laundering involving about ₦8.7 billion.

The EFCC alleged that the defendants used multiple corporate entities, bank accounts, and high-value real estate transactions to launder proceeds of unlawful activities.

Amid the ongoing legal battle, Malami had accused the Chairman of the EFCC, Ola Olukoyede, of bias and conflict of interest, calling for his recusal from all matters relating to him.

In a statement issued by his media aide, Mohammed Bello, Malami argued that Olukoyede’s continued involvement was legally and morally indefensible, citing Chapter Nine of the Justice Ayo Salami Judicial Commission of Inquiry Report.

He claimed that as Attorney General, he supervised the establishment of the Salami Commission, where the current EFCC chairman served as secretary, creating what he described as personal and professional conflicts.

However, responding to the allegation, EFCC Chairman Ola Olukoyede dismissed claims of witch-hunting, insisting that the investigation of Malami was neither political nor partisan.

Speaking during an interview on Channels Television’s Sunday Politics programme on January 11, Olukoyede said the probe predated his assumption of office and was being handled strictly in line with professional standards.

“If Nigeria is to move forward, all of us must agree that this fight against corruption must be conducted without partisanship,” he said.

Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has cautioned opposition supporters against verbal attacks on former Anambra State Governor and ex-presidential candidate, Peter Obi, warning that such conduct weakens opposition unity and undermines Nigeria’s collective interest.

Atiku issued the warning in a post on X on Tuesday amid growing exchanges and recriminations among supporters of key opposition figures.

According to him, insults directed at either himself or Obi only damage the opposition coalition and play into the hands of the ruling All Progressives Congress.

“Anyone who insults Obi or Atiku does not mean well for the leaders, the Coalition ADC and for Nigeria and Nigerians,” Atiku said.

He added that persistent infighting within the opposition only strengthens the APC, which he accused of benefiting from internal divisions among rival political forces.

“The only people who benefit from this kind of civil war are the APC urban bandits who want to maintain the satanic status quo,” the former vice president stated.

Atiku stressed that unity and cooperation among opposition leaders and their supporters remain essential for democratic progress and national development.

His comments followed allegations from some quarters that supporters loyal to him have been unfairly targeting Obi, further deepening cracks within the emerging opposition coalition.

The coalition, operating under the African Democratic Congress platform, has gained traction in recent months following high-profile defections aimed at mounting a strong challenge to President Bola Tinubu’s administration.

Obi officially joined the ADC in December 2025 after leaving the Labour Party, citing the need for a more formidable opposition structure capable of addressing Nigeria’s economic challenges and governance failures.

Atiku had defected to the party a month earlier, describing the move as part of a broader mission to “rescue Nigeria.”

A Federal High Court sitting in Abuja on Tuesday dismissed a fresh suit filed by a factional National Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Senator Samuel Anyanwu, following his application to withdraw the case.

At the resumed hearing, Anyanwu’s counsel, U. C. Njemanze-Aku, informed the court that the matter had been overtaken by events and no longer required judicial determination.

According to him, continuing with the suit would amount to an abuse of court time, urging the court to allow its withdrawal in the interest of justice.

The leadership dispute over the position of PDP National Secretary began after Anyanwu vacated the office to contest the 2023 Imo State governorship election, which he lost.

His attempt to reclaim the position afterwards triggered internal tensions within the party, leading to the emergence of Sunday Udeh-Okoye as a rival claimant.

On December 20, 2024, the Court of Appeal sitting in Enugu affirmed earlier decisions of the Federal High Court, which removed Anyanwu from office and recognised Udeh-Okoye as the authentic National Secretary of the PDP.

Anyanwu challenged the verdicts at the Supreme Court, which, in March 2025, overturned the decisions of both the Federal High Court and the Court of Appeal.

Despite the apex court’s ruling, the leadership crisis persisted, with factions continuing to assert control over the PDP national secretariat.

In a bid to enforce the Supreme Court judgment, Anyanwu later instituted a fresh suit at the Federal High Court in Abuja.

The court, in November 2025, granted his application to amend the originating summons but awarded costs of N30,000 against him in favour of each defendant and adjourned the matter to January 20, 2026, for hearing.

However, when the case came up for hearing, Anyanwu opted to withdraw the suit, effectively bringing the prolonged legal battle to an end.

Counsel to the second defendant, Akintayo Balogun, opposed the withdrawal, arguing that the suit should never have been filed and urged the court to dismiss it with costs, demanding one million naira.

Other defence lawyers aligned with the submission, seeking costs ranging from one million to N1.5 million.

Responding, Anyanwu’s counsel maintained that the withdrawal was not a voluntary discontinuation but was compelled by circumstances beyond the plaintiff’s control, urging the court to allow parties to bear their own costs.

In his ruling, the presiding judge dismissed the suit and declined all applications for costs.

“The delay is not attributable to any of the parties. The situation made it so. For this reason, I award no cost,” the judge ruled.

Kano State Governor Abba Yusuf on Monday met with President Bola Tinubu at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, in what sources say is a politically significant engagement.

Dressed in his signature flowing white babanriga and a red Kwankwasiyya cap, Yusuf was seen heading to the President’s office at 4:13 pm local time.

The meeting comes amid ongoing speculation about Yusuf’s potential defection from the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), a move that has been delayed multiple times since early January.

This marks Yusuf’s first known audience with President Tinubu since returning from Abu Dhabi, where the President attended the 2026 Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week.

Sources familiar with the matter said the defection has been stalled over the APC’s reluctance to guarantee Yusuf an automatic gubernatorial ticket for the 2027 elections.

The governor is also reportedly seeking the authority to nominate a minister representing Kano State and to influence the replacement of federal appointees in the state.

Insiders indicate that these demands have put Yusuf at odds with key APC figures, including Deputy Senate President Barau Jibrin, who is reportedly positioning for the 2027 governorship.

In recent days, Yusuf shared a video on his official Facebook account showing him presiding over the first State Executive Council meeting of 2026 at the Kano State Governor’s Lodge in Abuja.

Yusuf’s political mentor, Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, has publicly condemned the planned defection as a betrayal, warning of consequences if the move proceeds.

Loyalists, including Kwankwaso’s son, Hon. Mustapha Kwankwaso, have reportedly threatened resignation should Yusuf officially join the APC.

Meanwhile, APC chieftain Alhassan Ado Doguwa claimed that President Tinubu had directed a suspension of the party’s ongoing e-registration exercise in Kano until Yusuf formally joins.

Doguwa added that the President intends for Yusuf to be the first to e-register in the state.

In a message on Yusuf’s 63rd birthday on January 5, President Tinubu praised the governor for his infrastructural and grassroots development efforts, noting improvements in roads and education.

Tinubu described Kano as “the bastion of progressive politics in the North,” and commended Yusuf’s commitment to enhancing the welfare of the Talakawas, echoing the legacy of the late Mallam Aminu Kano.