The 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, to the Federal Government.
The decision was announced on Wednesday, July 15, 2026, when Justice Joyce Abdulmalik of the Federal High Court delivered judgment in Abuja, ruling that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) had established the reasonable suspicion required under the law to justify the forfeiture of the assets.
Justice Abdulmalik held that Malami, members of his family and companies linked to the properties failed to rebut the EFCC’s allegations that the assets were acquired with proceeds of unlawful activities.
Before delivering the judgment, the judge dismissed several applications, motions and applications to show cause filed by the respondents, describing them as lacking merit.
“The issue before the court is not who owns the property, but how legitimate are the funds used to acquire the property,” Justice Abdulmalik said.
She added that the respondents failed to dislodge the reasonable suspicion that the properties were acquired through unlawful activities.
Relying on Section 17 of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offences Act, the court granted the EFCC’s application for the final forfeiture of the assets. However, Justice Abdulmalik discharged the interim forfeiture order on some of the properties.
The EFCC, in January 2026, instituted civil forfeiture proceedings seeking the permanent forfeiture of 57 properties valued at ₦212.8 billion, alleging that they were proceeds of unlawful activities linked to the former Attorney General.
On January 16, 2026, Justice Emeka Nwite granted an interim forfeiture order and directed the anti-graft agency to publish the order in a national newspaper to allow interested parties to show cause why the assets should not be permanently forfeited to the Federal Government.
The affected properties are located across Abuja, Kano, Kebbi and Kaduna states.
Following the publication of the interim order, Malami, his wife, Nana Hadiza Malami, his son, Abdulaziz Abubakar Malami, and several companies linked to the assets challenged the forfeiture proceedings.
They argued that the properties were lawfully acquired and maintained that the EFCC failed to establish any connection between the assets and the alleged unlawful activities. They also contended that the commission relied on speculation rather than credible evidence and failed to identify any specific criminal offence from which the assets were allegedly derived.
After the court resumed from its annual vacation, the case was reassigned to Justice Abdulmalik for hearing and determination.
At the hearing, counsel for the EFCC argued that investigations showed the properties were acquired with proceeds of unlawful activities and held in the names of individuals and companies acting as fronts for Malami. The commission also maintained that under Nigeria’s civil forfeiture law, it only needed to establish reasonable suspicion rather than prove the allegations beyond reasonable doubt.
After both parties adopted their final written addresses in May 2026, the court reserved judgment. The ruling, initially scheduled for July 6, 2026, was deferred twice before Justice Abdulmalik delivered the final judgment on Wednesday, July 15, 2026.
This marks the latest development in the EFCC’s civil forfeiture case involving assets allegedly linked to the former Attorney General.
