Court Orders Final Forfeiture Of 48 Properties Linked To Ex-AGF Malami

A 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 (SAN), to the Federal Government after ruling that they were reasonably suspected to have been acquired with proceeds of unlawful activities.

Justice Joyce Abdulmalik delivered the judgment on Wednesday, holding that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) successfully established that the properties were not acquired through lawful sources of income.  

In a statement posted on its verified Facebook page on Wednesday, the anti-graft agency said the court granted its application for final forfeiture after finding merit in its case.

According to the EFCC, the court held that the Commission “had successfully established that the properties were reasonably suspected to be proceeds of unlawful activities and were not acquired with lawful sources of income.”

The judgment followed months of legal proceedings in which Malami, members of his family and several companies challenged the interim forfeiture order earlier obtained by the EFCC.

Justice Abdulmalik dismissed the objections filed against the Commission’s application, ruling that the claimants failed to rebut the reasonable suspicion surrounding the acquisition of the assets.

The judge stressed that the central issue before the court was not ownership of the properties but “how legitimate are the funds used to acquire the properties.” She further held that the respondents “had not dislodged the reasonable suspicion that the property was acquired by unlawful activities.”  

However, the court declined to make a final forfeiture order on some of the properties initially listed by the EFCC, vacating the interim forfeiture order in respect of those assets. The Commission had originally sought the permanent forfeiture of 57 properties, with the judgment covering 48 of them.

Recall that the  EFCC instituted the civil forfeiture proceedings in January 2026, alleging that the 57 properties–located across Abuja, Kano, Kaduna and Kebbi states and valued by the Commission at about ₦212.8 billion–were proceeds of unlawful activities linked to Malami.  

An interim forfeiture order was initially granted by Justice Emeka Nwite, who directed the EFCC to publish the order to allow interested parties to show cause why the assets should not be permanently forfeited to the Federal Government. Following the publication, Malami, his wife, son and several companies filed objections, insisting the assets were lawfully acquired and arguing that the EFCC relied on speculation rather than credible evidence.  

The matter was later reassigned to Justice Abdulmalik after the court’s annual vacation. During the proceedings, the EFCC argued that the assets were acquired with proceeds of unlawful activities and registered in the names of individuals and companies acting as fronts. It maintained that under Nigeria’s civil forfeiture laws, it only needed to establish reasonable suspicion, rather than prove criminal guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.  

The judgment came as Malami, his wife, and son continue to face separate money laundering charges filed by the EFCC, allegations they have consistently denied. The former Attorney-General has maintained that the assets in dispute were legitimately acquired.