Court Orders Interim Forfeiture of 57 Properties Linked to Ex-AGF Malami, Valued at N213bn

The Federal High Court sitting in Abuja has ordered the interim forfeiture of 57 properties valued at about N213 billion, allegedly linked to former Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mr Abubakar Malami, SAN.

Justice Emeka Nwite granted the order after an ex parte application filed by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and argued by its counsel, Ekele Iheanacho, SAN.

The properties, described as proceeds of unlawful activities, are located across Abuja, Kebbi, Kano, and Kaduna States. Although the ruling was delivered on Tuesday, a certified true copy of the order was sighted on Wednesday, according to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).

“It is hereby ordered that an interim order of this honourable court is hereby made forfeiting to the Federal Government of Nigeria the properties described in Schedule 1 below, which are reasonably suspected to be proceeds of unlawful activities,” Justice Nwite ruled.

The judge also directed that the forfeiture order be published in a national daily, inviting interested parties to show cause within 14 days why the assets should not be permanently forfeited.

The court ordered publication “inviting any person(s) or body (ies) who may have interest in the properties listed in the schedule to show cause, within 14 days of the publication, why a final order of forfeiture to the Federal Government of Nigeria of the said assets and properties, should not be made.”

The matter was adjourned to January 37 for a report on compliance.

High-Value Properties Listed

Among the assets listed in the schedule are luxury hotels, duplexes, commercial plazas, shops, warehouses, residential estates, and large parcels of land, including:

• A luxury duplex in Maitama, Abuja, purchased for N500 million in 2022 and later valued at N5.95 billion after enhancement.

• A two-winged multi-storey building in Garki, formerly Harmonia Hotels, acquired for N7 billion.

• A five-storey hotel in Jabi, now Meethaq Hotels Ltd with 53 rooms, valued at N8.4 billion after completion.

• A 15-room Meethaq Hotel in Maitama, purchased in 2018 for N430 million, now valued at N12.95 billion.

• Multiple properties in Asokoro, Wuse II, Gwarimpa, Apo Legislative Quarters, and Karsana District, Abuja.

• Residential and commercial properties in Kano, Birnin Kebbi, and Kaduna, including land measuring 100 hectares along the Birnin Kebbi–Jega Road.

• Properties acquired through Khadimiyya for Justice & Development Initiative, including bungalows and over 5.4 hectares of land in Birnin Kebbi.

Ongoing Criminal Trial

NAN reports that Malami, his wife Hajia Bashir Asabe, and his son Abubakar Abdulaziz are currently standing trial before Justice Nwite over an alleged N8.7 billion money-laundering case.

In the charge marked FHC/ABJ/CR/700/2025, the EFCC accused the defendants, alongside an employee of Rahamaniyya Properties Ltd, of engaging in suspicious financial transactions and concealing the illegal origin of funds through property acquisitions between 2015 and 2025—a period covering Malami’s eight years as AGF under the late former President Muhammadu Buhari.

The EFCC alleged that the defendants violated provisions of the Money Laundering (Prohibition and Prevention) Acts of 2011 (as amended) and 2022, by disguising illicit funds, acquiring properties indirectly, and retaining proceeds of unlawful activities.

In one of the counts, the commission claimed that between July 2022 and June 2025, Malami and his son instructed Metropolitan Auto Tech Limited to conceal over N1 billion in a Sterling Bank account, knowing the funds were proceeds of illegal activity.

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