The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has urged the Federal High Court in Abuja to order the permanent forfeiture of 57 properties allegedly linked to a former Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, to the Federal Government.

The anti-graft agency, in a motion on notice filed by its legal team led by Jibrin Okutepa (SAN) and Ekele Iheanacho (SAN), told Justice Joyce Abdulmalik that the respondents failed to place sufficient material before the court to justify setting aside the interim forfeiture order earlier granted.

The motion, marked FHC/ABJ/CS/20/2026, listed Malami, Hajia Bashir Asabe and Abiru’ Rahman Abubakar Malami among the respondents, alongside several companies allegedly linked to the assets.

The EFCC brought the application pursuant to Section 17 of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud-Related Offences Act, 2006, seeking “a final order of this honourable court forfeiting to the Federal Government of Nigeria, the properties described in the schedule below, which were found by the commission as properties reasonably suspected to be proceeds of unlawful activities.”

Arguing the motion, Okutepa stated that the proceeding was a non-conviction-based forfeiture and that the court has the statutory authority to grant the relief sought.

He added: “This honourable court made an interim order forfeiting the properties to the Federal Government of Nigeria.

“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 argued.

In an affidavit deposed to by an EFCC investigator, Daniel Adebayo, the commission said it received multiple petitions alleging corruption, abuse of office and fraud against the former minister.

Adebayo stated that investigations involved obtaining financial records from banks and the Central Bank of Nigeria, as well as inquiries from agencies including the Corporate Affairs Commission, Federal Inland Revenue Service, Code of Conduct Bureau and the Abuja Geographical Information System.

He added that land registries in Kebbi, Sokoto and Kano states were also queried, while assets were physically verified and valued.

The officer said individuals linked to the transactions were invited and interviewed.

He further stated that Malami’s earnings while in office between 2015 and 2023, including salaries, allowances and estacodes, were not commensurate with the value of the assets under investigation.

“I know as a fact and verily believe the findings of the investigation, which are as follows:

“Mr Abubakar Malami (SAN) was the Hon. Minister of Justice and Attorney General of the Federation, hereinafter referred to as HAGF, from 2015 to 2023.

“He was paid a total of N89,664,000.00 as salary between 2015 and 2023, whilst in office, with an average payment of N962,663.68 per month.

“He also received a severance allowance of N12,158,400.00 at the end of his tenure in office.

“Mr Malami SAN was also paid estacodes allowances to cover his travel expenses whenever he travelled outside the country on official trips.

“He calculated and declared a total sum of N253,608,500.00 as the amount he received for the official trips between 2015 and 2023 in a letter written to the Chairman of the CCB as an addendum to his Assets Declaration Form in June 2023.

“Attached and collectively marked as Exhibit EFCC 2 & 3 are copies of the asset declaration forms filled out by Mr Malami SAN from 2015 to 2023, together with a letter dated 16th of June, 2023, written by him to the Chairman of the CCB as an addendum to the asset declaration form as found at his house during EFCC’s execution of a search warrant.”

Adebayo further deposed: “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/approvals from appropriate authorities were obtained to erect most of the various structures in Kano and Kebbi states as part of a scheme to disguise the unlawful origin of the funds used to acquire the assets.”

He alleged that some of the properties were acquired through proxies and corporate entities linked to the former minister.

The EFCC listed 57 landed properties spread across Abuja, Kebbi, Kano and Kaduna states, including assets tied to Rayhaan University in Kebbi.

Justice Abdulmalik fixed April 21 for the hearing of the motion.

The case stems from an earlier order of the Federal High Court in Abuja, on January 8, 2026, presided over by Justice Emeka Nwite, which granted an interim forfeiture of the 57 properties following an ex parte application by the EFCC.

The properties, valued at about N213.2bn, were said to be linked to Malami and two of his sons and were suspected to be proceeds of unlawful activities.

The court directed that the assets be temporarily forfeited to the Federal Government, and ordered the EFCC to publish the order in a national newspaper to enable interested parties to show cause within 14 days why they should not be permanently forfeited.

Following the interim order, Malami and other respondents challenged the forfeiture proceedings, urging the court to set aside the order.

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The Presidency has defended President Bola Tinubu’s decision to meet victims of the Plateau State killings at a hall adjoining the Yakubu Gowon Airport rather than driving into Jos township, citing flight restrictions and logistical constraints as the reasons for the arrangement.

In a statement by Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga on Friday, the Presidency said the runway at the airport does not support night flights due to the absence of navigational aids, making it impossible for Tinubu to visit Rukuba, drive back to the airport and depart before dusk.

“Upon arrival in Jos, the visit encountered some logistical challenges. While the road distance from the airport to Jos township is approximately 40 minutes, the runway does not support night flights due to the absence of navigational aids. The constraints made it unfeasible to drive into town, meet victims for on-the-spot assessment and return to the airport before dusk.

“Consequently, state and federal officials decided to bring representatives of the affected community to a hall adjoining the airport so the President could meet with them promptly while adhering to flight restrictions,” the statement read.

The visit came days after gunmen attacked the Angwan Rukuba district of Jos North Local Government Area on Palm Sunday, killing at least 28 people in one of the deadliest outbreaks of violence in the state in recent years.

The Presidency also explained the delay in Tinubu’s departure for Jos, saying his itinerary for Thursday had included receiving Chadian President Mahamat Idriss Déby Itno at the Presidential Villa for a bilateral meeting on security cooperation.

The meeting, which centred on strengthening collaboration between Nigeria and Chad, ran longer than expected, pushing back his scheduled departure.

According to the statement, Tinubu had initially planned to travel to Iperu, Ogun State, on Thursday, but suspended the trip after Mutfwang briefed him on the security situation in Plateau.

“President Tinubu’s itinerary for Thursday included two main engagements: receiving the Chadian President, Mahamat Idriss Déby Itno, and proceeding to Iperu, Ogun State. After Governor Caleb Mutfwang’s briefing, President Tinubu suspended the trip to Ogun.

“Overnight, the Presidential Villa made arrangements for the visit to Jos, with presidential assets quickly deployed. However, the President could not postpone the scheduled visit by the Chadian leader.

“The President of Chad was at the Presidential Villa for a very important bilateral meeting focused on strengthening security collaboration between the two countries. The meeting ran longer than expected, affecting President Tinubu’s scheduled departure for Jos,” the statement read.

Despite the airport setting, the Presidency said the visit achieved its objectives, with Tinubu consoling victims, listening to community leaders and engaging key stakeholders on ending the decades-long cycle of violence in the state.

Among those present at the hall were the Minister of Defence, the Chief of Army Staff and the Inspector-General of Police, who had earlier visited Rukuba ahead of the President’s arrival.

“President Tinubu’s visit to Jos was not merely symbolic. It was a strategic, high-level engagement aimed at bringing all stakeholders together to address the root causes of conflict and insecurity in the state,” Onanuga said.

At the meeting, Tinubu addressed a grieving mother, Mrs Rhoda, whose video clutching the bloodied corpse of her son had gone viral and become the defining image of the attack. He identified her son as Ayuba.

“I know the pain. I see in the video how you buried your loved ones and the pain and agony in your heart. But it’s only God who can give you joy and hope. No amount of money can pay all of you back,” he said.

He also announced the deployment of over 5,000 AI-enabled cameras across Plateau State, directed security chiefs to track down the killers, constituted a committee to assess losses and provide compensation, and invited community leaders to Abuja for further talks.

The Nigerian Army separately announced the deployment of over 850 additional troops to reinforce operations under Operation Enduring Peace.

The Presidency insisted the visit was deliberate and strategic, with Onanuga saying “President Tinubu achieved the purpose of his visit, despite the naysayers’ attempts to ridicule it. He dropped an unmistakable message: sustainable peace must be built with the people, not imposed on them.”

However, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar criticised the visit as insensitive.

“It is both shocking and deeply insensitive that several days after the gruesome killings of innocent citizens, the President’s so-called ‘on-the-spot assessment’ was reduced to a brief stop at the foot of his aircraft, never extending beyond the airport, never reaching the grieving communities, and never touching the pain of the victims,” Atiku said in a statement by his aide, Phrank Shaibu.

He added that the visit had been hurriedly curtailed to allow Tinubu to proceed to Lagos for the Easter holidays, describing it as “a decision that reflects a deeply troubling prioritisation in the face of national grief.”

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