The Federal High Court in Abuja has ordered the interim forfeiture of 57 properties allegedly linked to unlawful activities associated with former Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, SAN.
Justice Emeka Nwite granted the order after hearing an ex parte application filed by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) through its counsel, Ekele Iheanacho, SAN.
The properties, described as multi-billion-naira assets, are spread across Abuja, Kano, Kebbi and Kaduna states.
Although the ruling was delivered on Tuesday, a certified true copy of the court order was obtained on Wednesday, according to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).
In the ruling, Justice Nwite held that the assets were “reasonably suspected to be proceeds of unlawful activities” and ordered their temporary forfeiture to the Federal Government.
“It is hereby ordered that an interim order of this honourable court is made forfeiting to the Federal Government of Nigeria the properties described in Schedule 1 below,” the judge ruled.
The court also directed the EFCC to publish the forfeiture order in a national daily newspaper.
The publication is to invite any individual or organisation with an interest in the properties to appear before the court within 14 days and show cause why the assets should not be permanently forfeited to the government.
Justice Nwite adjourned the matter to January 27 for a report on compliance with the court’s directives.
From my experience covering asset-tracing cases and court-ordered forfeitures, such interim orders are a standard legal step that allows investigators to preserve disputed assets while giving affected parties a fair chance to contest ownership.
Court documents show that several of the properties are luxury hotels, high-end duplexes, plazas, warehouses, and large parcels of land, some valued in billions of naira after development.
Among the assets listed are luxury hotels in Maitama and Jabi, commercial properties in Wuse and Garki, residential estates in Asokoro and Gwarimpa, and extensive land holdings in Kebbi and Kano states.
Investigators relied on banking records, property registries, valuation reports, and transaction timelines to link the assets to alleged money-laundering activities, tools commonly used in complex financial crime investigations.
NAN reports that Abubakar Malami, his wife, Hajia Bashir Asabe, and his son, Abubakar Abdulaziz, are currently standing trial before the same court over an alleged ₦8.7 billion money-laundering case.
The EFCC filed the charges under suit number FHC/ABJ/CR/700/2025, naming Malami, his wife, his son, and an employee of Rahamaniyya Properties Limited as defendants.
In the 16-count charge, the anti-graft agency accused the defendants of conspiracy, concealment of illicit funds, and acquiring properties believed to be proceeds of unlawful activities.
The alleged offences span between 2015 and 2025, a period that covers Malami’s eight-year tenure as Attorney-General during the administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari.
The EFCC further alleged that Malami and his family members used corporate entities and third-party accounts to disguise the origin of funds, in violation of Nigeria’s Money Laundering (Prohibition and Prevention) Acts.
The former minister and the other defendants have yet to respond publicly to the forfeiture order.
The case is expected to test the strength of Nigeria’s asset recovery framework as the court moves closer to determining whether the properties will be permanently forfeited to the state.