The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has approached the Federal High Court in Abuja, seeking a final order to permanently seize 57 properties allegedly linked to former Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami.
The request was presented before Justice Joyce Abdulmalik as part of ongoing legal proceedings over assets the anti-graft agency claims are proceeds of unlawful activities. The EFCC is urging the court to grant a final forfeiture order in favour of the Federal Government of Nigeria.
According to court filings, the application was brought by the EFCC’s legal team led by Jibrin Okutepa (SAN) and Ekele Iheanacho (SAN). The commission argued that the respondents failed to provide sufficient justification for reversing an earlier interim forfeiture order already granted by the court.
The case, marked FHC/ABJ/CS/20/2026, lists Malami alongside Hajia Bashir Asabe, Abiru’ Rahman Abubakar Malami, and several companies allegedly connected to the assets under investigation.
In its motion, the EFCC stated that the application was backed by provisions of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud-Related Offences Act, 2006. It urged the court to grant “a final order of this honourable court forfeiting to the Federal Government of Nigeria, the properties described… which were found by the commission as properties reasonably suspected to be proceeds of unlawful activities.”
During proceedings, Okutepa explained that the matter involves a non-conviction-based forfeiture process. He told the court that due legal procedures had been followed, including the granting of an interim forfeiture order and the publication of a public notice inviting interested parties to show cause why the assets should not be permanently forfeited.
“This honourable court made an interim order forfeiting the properties to the Federal Government of Nigeria,” he said.
“The order of the honourable court has been published in a national daily, namely THISDAY Newspaper of 9th January, 2026. No sufficient cause has been shown why the properties under the interim forfeiture order should not be finally forfeited to the Federal Government of Nigeria,” Okutepa added.
Details from an affidavit deposed to by EFCC investigator, Daniel Adebayo, revealed that the probe into Malami’s assets began following multiple petitions alleging corruption, abuse of office, and fraud during his tenure in public office.
According to the investigator, the commission conducted an extensive review of financial records obtained from commercial banks and the Central Bank of Nigeria. It also gathered information from several government agencies, including the Corporate Affairs Commission, Federal Inland Revenue Service, Code of Conduct Bureau, and the Abuja Geographical Information System.
Further investigations involved contacting land registries in Kebbi, Sokoto, and Kano states, alongside physical inspections and valuation of the properties in question. Individuals linked to the transactions were also invited for questioning as part of the probe.
The EFCC maintained that Malami’s known earnings while serving in office were significantly lower than the value of the assets allegedly traced to him.
In the affidavit, Adebayo stated that Malami served as Attorney General and Minister of Justice from 2015 to 2023, earning a total salary of N89,664,000 within that period, with an average monthly income of N962,663.68. He also received a severance allowance of N12,158,400 at the end of his tenure.
Additionally, the former minister reportedly declared receiving N253,608,500 as estacode allowances for official foreign trips between 2015 and 2023. These details were contained in documents submitted to the Code of Conduct Bureau as part of his asset declaration.
The EFCC argued that despite these earnings, the scale and value of the properties linked to Malami were “manifestly disproportionate” to his legitimate sources of income.
“I know as a fact and verily believe the findings of the investigation,” Adebayo said in the affidavit, outlining discrepancies between declared earnings and the assets uncovered.
He further alleged that many of the properties were acquired through suspicious means, including the use of proxies and companies, in what investigators believe was an attempt to conceal ownership and obscure the origin of funds used for the acquisitions.
“Aside from the actual acquisition of the properties which are manifestly disproportionate to Mr Malami SAN’s known and lawful sources of income, no building permits or approvals from appropriate authorities were obtained to erect most of the structures in Kano and Kebbi states,” the affidavit stated.
The EFCC claimed that this pattern suggested a deliberate scheme to disguise the unlawful origin of the funds used in acquiring the assets.
The properties, said to be located across Abuja, Kebbi, Kano, and Kaduna states, include high-value assets reportedly linked to Rayhaan University in Kebbi. The total estimated value of the properties stands at approximately N213.2 billion.
Justice Abdulmalik has adjourned the matter to April 21 for hearing of the motion seeking final forfeiture.
The latest development follows an earlier ruling by Emeka Nwite on January 8, 2026, which granted an interim forfeiture order after an ex parte application by the EFCC. The court had also directed that the order be published in a national newspaper to allow any interested parties to contest it within 14 days.
However, Malami and other respondents have since challenged the process, filing applications urging the court to set aside the interim forfeiture order. The respondents argue that the order was improperly granted and that they should be given the opportunity to fully defend their ownership of the assets.
As the legal battle continues, the case is expected to test the boundaries of non-conviction-based asset forfeiture in Nigeria, while drawing significant public and political attention given the profile of the individuals involved.
