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.
punch.ng
FOLLOW US ON:
