EFCC Witness Identifies Malami's Son, Abdulaziz, as Sole Signatory for Rayhan Hotels Account

A witness of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, David Ajoma on Friday named Abdulaziz Abubakar Malami, son of the former Minister of Justice Abubakar Malami, as the owner of Rayhan Hotels seized from the family by the anti-graft agency.

The witness on Friday also told a Federal High Court in Abuja that the said Malami’s son is the sole signatory to the account of the hotel at Sterling Bank.

Rayhan Hotels, located in Kebbi State, is one of the prime properties confiscated by EFCC from the Malami family.

Ajoma however said that the former Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, AGF, Abubakar Malami never participated in any of the transactions carried out by the Rayhan Hotels and Metropolitan Autotech Limited with Sterling Bank.

He said that no payments came into the bank accounts of the two companies from the Federal Ministry of Justice, Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, National Human Rights Commission or any agency presided over by Malami while he was the AGF.

The witness, a Compliance Officer with Sterling Bank, had tendered a 214-page bank transaction document involving inflows and outflows carried out by the two companies through their bank accounts with the bank.

The bank transaction document was admitted as exhibit ‘A Series’ by Justice Joyce Abdulmalik, who is presiding over the trial of Malami, his son Abdulaziz Abubakar Malami and and wife, Hajia Bashir Asabe, in a 16-count money laundering charge involving N8. 7 billion.

Ajoma, who is the first witness of the EFCC in the trial, narrated how series of payments involving millions of naira were made into the bank account of Rayhan Hotels and Metropolitan Autotech Limited with Sterling Bank by corporate bodies and individuals at different times.

He read out names and identities of those who made the payments while being led in evidence by counsel to EFCC, Mr Jibrin Okutepa, SAN.

While reading through the bank statements of the Rayhan Hotels and Metropolitan Autotech Limited with Sterling Bank and the opening packages, the witness said Malami’s name was not in the account opening packages and also not as signatories to them.

He made the clarifications during cross examination by lead lawyer to the three defendants, Joseph Daudu, SAN.

Apart from not being relationship manager or officer to the bank accounts, Ajoma told the judge that Malami’s name and that of his wife, Hajia Bashir Asabe, never featured in any of the transactions.

He named Malami’s son, Abdulaziz Abubakar Malami, as the sole signatory to the account of Rayhan Hotels, and one Aliyu Mohammed as signatory to Metropolitan Autotech Limited with Sterling Bank.

While quoting from the exhibit, Ajoma revealed that the application for N500 million loan facility was made to Sterling Bank by Abdulaziz Abubakar Malami in his capacity as the Managing Director of the Rayhan Hotels

The witness informed the court that he did not know the purposes of several payments made into Rayhan Hotels bank account by those who made them

Ajoma who claimed to have earlier worked with Access Bank said that Sterling Bank did not make report of suspicious transactions to either EFCC or Nigeria Finance Intelligence Unit, NFIU, because none of the transactions breached the rules of the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN.

Meanwhile, Justice Abdulmalik has fixed March 16 for a Union Bank official to testify in the trial.

The EFCC had filed a 16-count money laundering charge against Malami, his son and his wife.

Malami, his son Abdulaziz Malami, and an employee of Rahamaniyya Properties Limited, Hajia Asabe Bashir, were accused of conspiracy and concealment of proceeds of unlawful activities running into billions of naira.

They were said to have committed the various alleged offences between November 2015 and June 2025.

The commission in the charge alleged that the funds allegedly acquired unlawfully were used for the purchase of luxury properties in Abuja, Kebbi, Kano and other locations.

The Malamis have pleaded not guilty to the charges.