OPEN EYES on The Southerner Newspaper
Thursday, January 22, 2026
The Nigerian Justice system is indeed a playground. Full of intrigues; the good, the bad, and the ugly, finding justice in Nigeria most often than not requires connection to God Himself!
In this twisted playground, few spectacles are as grotesquely illustrative as the sight of Kuje Prison, a facility so vulnerable it was spectacularly breached by terrorists in 2022, now being rhetorically transformed into a sanctuary for the corrupt and deadliest citizens.
For Abubakar Malami, SAN, the former Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, this fortress of failure represents not a place of dread, but a preferrable battlefield.
Facing a slew of corruption allegations, Malami had until Monday 19th, January 2026, chosen to engage the legal system on the familiar, almost mundane, grounds of graft, rather than confront the far more sinister and existential shadow looming over him; the allegation of sponsoring terrorism!
This calculated choice unveils a chilling hierarchy of guilt, where the theft of money is a defendable political sport, but the sponsorship of bloodshed is a silent third rail.
The catalogue of corruption allegations against Malami is extensive and damning, painting a portrait of a chief law officer who allegedly operated as a prime auctioneer of state assets. He stands accused of personally overseeing the controversial sale of sea vessels laden with crude oil, forfeited to the federal government, under opaque circumstances that benefited shadowy intermediaries.
The case of the $496 million Ajaokuta-Kaduna-Kano (AKK) pipeline contract, where he allegedly pressured the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) to pay controversial “contract activation” fees to a company linked to his associates, remains a festering sore.
Furthermore, his involvement in the sale of prized properties of the Nigeria Ports Authority (NPA) in Lagos, including the famous “Bungalow 11” in the highbrow Osborne Towers, has been flagged by the Senate for gross irregularties and underhand dealings. These are not mere whispers; they are formal accusations that have sparked Senate probes and demands for investigation by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
Yet, these weighty accusations of plunder seem to be mere distractions when held against the grave terrorism-related allegation. Aside whatever facts the Federal Government of Nigeria may have against Malami’s link to terrorism, this writer is leaning on two major allegations so far; the 2021 Gazette publication on this subject matter, and more recently, the weighty revelations from General Ali-Keffi.
These two scenarios are worthy enough for the accused to prove his innocence in the court of Law, rather than skimming his ways to evade the subject matter altogether!
Herein lies the diabolical calculus. Malami, a senior advocate, understands Nigeria’s legal terrain perfectly. He knows that corruption trials are protracted, often sabotaged by technicalities, witness intimidation, and prosecutorial lethargy. They are wars of attrition he is equipped to fight, and potentially win, within the plush courtrooms and labyrinthine procedures of a compromised system.
To be investigated for graft is, perversely, a badge (of dishonour) for the Nigerian political elite. On the other hand, to be formally accused of sponsoring terrorism, however, is to be cast into a wholly different category; one that invites global sanctions, irrevocable pariah status, and perhaps, a different kind of “justice” entirely. Kuje Prison, for all its notoriety, is a known quantity; the consequences of a proven terrorism finance charge are an abyss.
This deliberate evasion forces a damning comparison with figures like Sheikh Ahmad Gumi, the controversial cleric who openly negotiates with and advocates for bandits. While Gumi operates in the public eye, offering questionable theological justifications and calling for amnesty, his advocacy, however infuriating, is transparent.
Nigerians know his stance! However, Malami’s alleged role, if proven, by contrast, is one of clandestine enablement from the very heart of the State. The Sheikh provides a microphone; the former AGF is accused of providing the money for bullets.
If Sheikh Gumi’s rhetoric deserves condemnation for emboldening criminals, then what Malami is alleged to have done demands not just condemnation, but the most severe punishment the law can muster. A government that negotiates with terrorists is weak; one whose chief legal officer is accused of funding them is complicit.
The profound provocation, therefore, is not just in the acts themselves, but in the brazen selectivity of the battle. By choosing to fight only the corruption charges, Malami is broadcasting a contemptuous message to the Nigerian public; he believes our anger over stolen billions can be managed and litigated, but the question of spilled blood is too dangerous to even acknowledge.
He is betting that the system is too corrupt to convict him of corruption, and too terrified to even broach the subject of terrorism. This is the ultimate insulation of power, the ability to choose your crime and your courtroom.
Thus, to crown it all, Kuje Prison stands as a potent metaphor. Its breached walls are a testament to the state’s failure to contain terrorists. The fact that it recently housed a former AGF for corruption could be framed as a victory for accountability.
But until the darker, more profound allegation of terrorism sponsorship is pursued with the same vigor as the accusations of financial theft, any incarceration would be a facade. For Malami, Kuje may indeed seem a safer haven than the glare of a truth that asks not about missing money, but about missing souls.
The nation’s healing cannot begin until it confronts why its former chief law officer would rather be tried as a thief than answer the charge of being a terrorist’s banker. Nigerians eagerly await the unfolding episodes about to be unleashed by DSS and Malami. May the sun shine tomorrow…
