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 that the assets were reasonably suspected to have been acquired with proceeds of unlawful activities.
The ruling was delivered by Justice Joyce Abdulmalik on Wednesday, according to a statement by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
The judgment follows an interim forfeiture order granted in January over 57 properties valued at about N213.2 billion, allegedly linked to Malami and two of his sons, pending the conclusion of forfeiture proceedings.
The EFCC described the judgment as a major breakthrough in its asset recovery campaign, saying it successfully established that the forfeited properties were suspected proceeds of unlawful activities.
According to the anti-graft agency, Justice Abdulmalik held that there was no credible evidence showing the assets were acquired through legitimate sources of income.
“The Commission successfully established that the properties were reasonably suspected to be proceeds of unlawful activities and were not acquired with lawful sources of income,” the EFCC said.
The forfeiture order comes as Malami continues to face trial over an alleged N8.7 billion money laundering case before the Federal High Court in Abuja.
The former minister, his wife, Hajia Bashir Asabe, and his son, Abubakar Abdulaziz Malami, are facing a 16-count charge bordering on alleged money laundering and concealment of illicit assets.
Following their arraignment in December 2025, the defendants pleaded not guilty to all charges. They were later granted bail in January 2026 in the sum of N1.5 billion each, with the court ordering them to provide sureties with verifiable properties in Abuja, surrender their international passports, and obtain court approval before travelling outside Nigeria.
The EFCC alleges that Malami used proceeds of unlawful activities to acquire several high-value assets, including residential and commercial properties in Abuja, Kano and Kebbi State.
One of the charges also accuses Malami and his son of using Metropolitan Auto Tech Limited to conceal more than N1.014 billion allegedly derived from unlawful activities through a Sterling Bank account.
Among the assets identified by the commission are a residence in Gwarimpa, Abuja, a commercial plaza near Birnin Kebbi Market, a 100-hectare parcel of land along the Birnin Kebbi–Jega Road, and properties in Kano, with assets in one count alone valued at about N415 million.
The EFCC said it plans to call witnesses from commercial banks, Bureau de Change operators and its investigators as the money laundering trial continues.
