ABUJA—The Federal Authorities yesterday withdrew the terrorism financing cost it filed towards the speedy previous Legal professional-Normal of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mr. Abubakar Malami, SAN, and his son, Abdulaziz.
The FG, by its staff of legal professionals, led by Mr. Akinlolu Kehinde, SAN, utilized to substitute the cost with an amended one in regards to the defendants’ alleged unlawful possession of arms and ammunition.
It advised the court docket that the arms and stay cartridges have been present in Malami’s residence in Birnin Kebbi, the Kebbi State capital.
Following the event, Malami, who served as Justice Minister from November 11, 2015, to Might 29, 2023, beneath former President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration, and his son took recent pleas of not responsible to the five-count amended cost.
The defence lawyer, Mr. Shuaibu Arua, SAN, who didn’t oppose the withdrawal and substitution of the preliminary cost, persuaded the court docket, nevertheless, to permit the defendants retain the bail initially granted them.
The appliance for the defendant’s bail was not challenged by prosecution counsel.
Consequently, trial Justice Joyce Abdulmalik held that the bail the court docket granted the defendants on February 27, in addition to all of the situations already fulfilled, would subsist.
Sponsored
The court docket subsequently mounted Might 26 and June 15 for trial.
Recall that the Division of State Providers, DSS, arraigned Malami and his son earlier than the court docket on February 3.
The previous Justice Minister was initially accused of knowingly abetting terrorism financing by refusing to prosecute terrorism financiers whose case information had been dropped at his workplace as AGF.
Each Malami and his son have been collectively accused of illegal possession of firearms, offences punishable beneath the Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022, and the Firearms Act, 2004.
Within the cost marked FHC/ABJ/CR/63/2026, Malami and Abdulaziz have been accused of storing firearms of their residence at Gesse Section II, Birnin Kebbi LGA, Kebbi State, with out lawful authority.
The defendants pleaded not responsible to the allegations and have been granted bail within the sum of N200 million every, with two sureties every in like sum.
SPONSORED