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 in favour of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
Delivering judgment on Wednesday, Justice Joyce Abdulmalik held that the EFCC established the legal threshold of reasonable suspicion required under Nigeria’s civil forfeiture laws. The court ruled that Malami, members of his family and companies connected to the assets failed to successfully challenge the commission’s claim that the properties were acquired with proceeds of unlawful activities.
Before issuing the final order, the judge dismissed several applications and motions filed by the respondents, describing them as lacking merit. She clarified that the central issue before the court was not ownership of the assets but whether the funds used to acquire them were legitimate.
“The issue before the court is not who owns the property, but how legitimate the funds used to acquire the properties are,” Justice Abdulmalik said, adding that the respondents had “not dislodged the reasonable suspicion that the property was acquired by unlawful activities.”
Relying on Section 17 of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offences Act, the court granted the EFCC’s request for final forfeiture of 48 properties. However, it discharged the interim forfeiture order on some of the assets initially listed in the case.
The EFCC had, in January 2026, filed civil forfeiture proceedings seeking the permanent forfeiture of 57 properties valued at about ₦212.8 billion, alleging they were proceeds of unlawful activities linked to the former justice minister. The assets are spread across Abuja, Kano, Kebbi and Kaduna states. An interim forfeiture order was granted on January 16 by Justice Emeka Nwite, allowing interested parties to contest the action.
Malami, his wife Nana Hadiza Malami, his son Abdulaziz Abubakar Malami and several companies linked to the properties opposed the application, insisting the assets were lawfully acquired. They argued that the EFCC failed to establish any connection between the properties and criminal activity, relying instead on speculation without identifying any specific offence from which the assets were allegedly derived.
Following the ruling, the EFCC disclosed that the forfeited assets include Rayhaan University in Kebbi State, Rayhaan Agro Allied Factory, Azbir Arena, Zeennoor Hotel in Kano, hotels, filling stations, commercial plazas, warehouses, estates, luxury residential buildings, farmlands and several other high-value properties. According to the anti-graft agency, ownership of the 48 assets has now officially passed to the Federal Government.
Meanwhile, Abubakar Malami is currently facing trial alongside his wife and son over an alleged ₦8.7 billion fraud, a separate criminal case that remains before the court.
