A whistleblower, John Kpurhe, has accused former Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami (SAN), alongside senior officials of the Federal Ministry of Justice and a private businessman, of diverting $1,034,515,050 (over $1.03 billion) belonging to the Federal Government of Nigeria through a cloned bank account linked to the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), SaharaReporters has learnt.
Those named in the petition include Alhaja Ladidi B. Muhammed, a senior official in the Asset Recovery Unit of the Federal Ministry of Justice; Barrister Buni, identified as a confidential secretary; and Alhassan Dantata, Chairman/CEO of Crescent House Limited.
According to documents obtained by SaharaReporters, the funds were allegedly lodged in a cloned account bearing Account Number 0013680344, said to be an NPA account maintained with Unity Bank Plc at NPA, 26/28 Marina, Lagos, and were allegedly used to defraud the Federal Government of Nigeria.
How Whistleblower Reported Alleged Fraud
SaharaReporters gathered that Kpurhe, after allegedly uncovering the suspicious account and its contents, approached Malami directly while he was Attorney General of the Federation to disclose what he described as vital information about the cloned account and the huge funds it contained.
According to a petition to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) from his lawyers, FritzAbbey Solicitors & Advocates, upon being briefed and allegedly satisfied with the information presented, Malami directed the Head of the Asset Recovery Unit in the Ministry of Justice, Alhaja Ladidi B. Muhammed, to take steps to recover the funds.
Following this directive, Kpurhe wrote a formal information letter dated June 11, 2018, detailing the alleged loot.
SaharaReporters learnt that the letter was submitted to Alhaja Ladidi B. Muhammed for necessary action, in line with Malami’s alleged instruction.
An agreement dated June 22, 2018, was subsequently signed on Kpurhe’s behalf by his lawyer, Barrister Mamma, while the then-Attorney General of the Federation represented the Federal Ministry of Justice, according to petition.
Trips To Court And Condemnation Certificate
SaharaReporters further learnt that officials involved in the recovery process allegedly sponsored several trips to and from the Federal High Court, Apapa, Lagos, as part of efforts to obtain a condemnation certificate in respect of the cloned account.
Among those who reportedly travelled to court were Barrister Buni, confidential secretary to Alhaja Ladidi B. Muhammed, and Kpurhe himself, who was part of the recovery team at the time. However, events later took a controversial turn.
Lawyer Removed, Recovery Process Halted
On July 27, 2018, Alhaja Ladidi B. Muhammed allegedly wrote a letter terminating the involvement of Kpurhe’s lawyer, Barrister Mamma, in the recovery process. In the letter, she reportedly claimed that the account in question had become the subject of a court dispute.
In the petition submitted to the EFCC on December 29, 2025, by FritzAbbey Solicitors, counsel for Kpurhe, the lawyers alleged that the claim was merely a tactic to remove Kpurhe’s lawyer from the process.
“Our client informed us that when he asked Alhaja Ladidi why such letter was written, she told our client that she used it as a tactic to remove our client’s lawyer on record, Barr. Mamma, from the recovery process,” the petition stated.
According to the petition, Alhaja Ladidi allegedly complained that Barrister Mamma was “frequenting her office” after signing the agreement on behalf of Kpurhe, which she considered a nuisance, adding that there was “no problem about the account.”
The petition further stated that Alhaja Ladidi allegedly gave Kpurhe a copy of the letter just for our client to know that she does not want the lawyer’s services again.
Fresh Letter Written Same Day
Kpurhe also alleged that on the same July 27, 2018, Alhaja Ladidi directed him to write a fresh information letter, effectively discontinuing the earlier letter dated June 11, 2018. SaharaReporters learnt that Kpurhe complied immediately
According to the petition, copies of both the first and second information letters are available and are to be supplied to investigators during investigation and prosecution.
The petition further disclosed that Kpurhe’s uncle, Ambassador Gilbert Nwokenye (JP, DSS retired), also wrote a new information letter bearing the same date, July 27, 2018, which was submitted and allegedly acknowledged by Alhaja Ladidi through an official stamp on a duplicate copy.
Allegation Of Full Conversion Of $1.034bn
FritzAbbey Solicitors, in the petition addressed to the EFCC Chairman, accused Malami and the other named individuals of allegedly converting the entire $1.034 billion for their personal use.
“We are Solicitors to John Kpurhe and on the strength of his brief to us, we write with respect to the way and manner the former Attorney General of the Federation, Malami Abubakar (SAN), and his cohorts fraudulently diverted the sum of One Billion, Thirty-Four Million, Five Hundred and Fifteen Thousand United States Dollars ($1,034,515,050) contained in a cloned account,” the petition read.
The petition named Malami Abubakar (SAN), Alhaja Ladidi B. Muhammed, Barrister Buni, and Alhassan Dantata of Crescent House Limited as those allegedly involved in the conversion of the funds.
Fear For Safety, Call For Protection
Beyond the financial allegations, the petition also raised serious security concerns, stating that Kpurhe’s life, as well as the lives of staff of Legal Hub Nigeria, are allegedly at risk because of the case.
“At the moment, because of this case, the life of our client and even staff of Legal Hub Nigeria is at stake,” the petition said, calling on the EFCC to provide security protection to preserve their lives during the pendency of the investigation.
The lawyers said Kpurhe is ready to appear before the commission to give evidence during investigation and prosecution.
EFCC Confirms Receipt Of Petition
Meanwhile, SaharaReporters obtained an official EFCC petition receipt confirming that the anti-graft agency has received the complaint.
According to the receipt, the petition was received by the commission on Thursday, January 8, 2026, at 2:49 p.m.
The receipt details show that the petition number is EFCC/PET/HOR/0072/2026, titled “Petition with Respect to Financial Fraud Against the Federal Government of Nigeria Committed by Messrs Malami Abubakar (SAN) and Ladidi B. Muhammed,” and was submitted by FritzAbbey Solicitors and Advocates.
Malami’s Ongoing Trial
Malami, who is currently being remanded at the Kuje Correctional Centre, is standing trial alongside his son, Abdulaziz Malami, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, and one of his wives, Bashir Asabe, over a 16-count charge filed against them by the EFCC.
Malami and the other defendants are accused of laundering a total sum of ₦8.7 billion.
On Wednesday, January 7, 2026, Justice Emeka Nwite of the Federal High Court in Abuja granted bail to Malami, and the two other defendants in the sum of ₦500 million each, with two sureties.
The court ruled that the sureties must own landed property in highbrow Abuja districts, including Asokoro, Maitama or Gwarinpa, and are required to deposit their travel documents with the court.
Justice Nwite further ordered that the property documents be verified by the Deputy Chief Registrar of the court, while the sureties must also swear to affidavits of means.
In addition, Malami was directed to submit his own travel documents to the court and was barred from leaving the country without prior permission of the court.
Earlier, the Federal High Court in Abuja ordered the interim forfeiture of 57 properties linked to Malami.
Justice Nwite granted the order to the Federal Government following an ex-parte motion filed by EFCC counsel, Ekele Iheanacho, SAN, citing suspicions that the assets are proceeds of unlawful activity, according to the News Agency of Nigeria.
The multi-billion-naira real estate holdings are spread across Abuja, Kebbi, Kano, and Kaduna states.
While the court issued the order on Tuesday, the Certified True Copy (CTC) only became available on Wednesday.
The order, which temporarily vests control of the multi-billion-naira assets in the Federal Government, followed an ex-parte application by the EFCC and was granted by Justice Nwite.
In granting the application, Justice Nwite held that the properties were reasonably suspected to be proceeds of unlawful activities and ordered their interim forfeiture.
