Politics
Court orders final forfeiture of 48 properties linked to Malami
THE Federal High Court in Abuja has ordered the final forfeiture of 48 properties linked to former Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, to the Federal Government after holding that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) established the legal threshold of reasonable suspicion required under Nigeria’s civil forfeiture law.
One of court’s justices, Joyce Abdulmalik, delivered the judgment on Wednesday and ruled that Malami, members of his family and companies connected to the assets failed to rebut the EFCC’s allegation that the properties were acquired with proceeds of unlawful activities.
“The issue before the court is not who owns the property, but how legitimate are the funds used to acquire the property,” Abdulmalik said as she dismissed multiple motions and applications filed by the respondents seeking to set aside the forfeiture proceedings, describing them as lacking merit.
The judge further held that the respondents failed to disprove the reasonable suspicion raised by the anti-graft agency that the assets were proceeds of unlawful activities.
Relying on Section 17 of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offences Act, the court granted the EFCC’s application for final forfeiture of 48 properties to the Federal Government, although it discharged the interim forfeiture order in respect of some of the assets.
The forfeiture case began in January 2026, when the EFCC filed a civil forfeiture application before the Federal High Court in Abuja, seeking the permanent forfeiture of 57 properties spread across Abuja, Kano, Kebbi and Kaduna states, valued at about N212.8 billion, allegedly linked to Malami.
The commission alleged that the assets were proceeds of unlawful activities and were held through family members and companies acting as fronts.
On January 6, 2026, a judge, Emeka Nwite, granted the EFCC an interim forfeiture order, temporarily transferring the assets to the Federal Government pending the determination of the suit. The court also directed the commission to publish the order in a national newspaper to allow any interested person to appear and show cause why the properties should not be permanently forfeited.
Following the publication of the interim order, Malami, his wife, Nana Hadiza Malami, his son Abdulaziz Abubakar Malami, and several companies linked to the properties challenged the proceedings.
The respondents argued that the assets were lawfully acquired and maintained that the EFCC failed to establish any connection between the properties and unlawful activities. They that the commission relied on speculation rather than credible evidence, insisting that it neither identified any predicate offence nor proved that the properties were proceeds of crime.
After the court’s annual vacation, the matter was reassigned to another judge, Abdulmalik.
During the hearing, the EFCC maintained that investigations showed the assets were acquired with proceeds of unlawful activities and concealed through proxies and companies linked to the former Attorney General.
The commission also argued that under Nigeria’s civil forfeiture regime, it was only required to establish reasonable suspicion, rather than prove a criminal offence beyond reasonable doubt.
After both sides adopted their final written addresses in May 2026, Abdulmalik reserved judgment on the case.
The ruling was initially scheduled for July 6, but was postponed twice, first to July 10, and later to July 15, before the court finally delivered its decision ordering the forfeiture of 48 properties.
Malami is one of the late President Muhammadu Buhari’s cabinet members who have been tried by President Bola Tinubu administration. Others include the former Governor of the Central Bank, Godwin Emefiele, and former Minister of Labour and Employment, Chris Ngige.
Malami is the governorship candidate of the Africa Democratic Congress (ADC) for the 2027 election in Kebbi State.
Nanji is an investigative journalist with the ICIR. She has years of experience in reporting and broadcasting human angle stories, gender inequalities, minority stories, and human rights issues. She has documented sexual war crimes in armed conflict, sex for grades in Nigerian Universities, harmful traditional practices and human trafficking.
