A Federal High Court in Abuja has ordered the interim forfeiture of 57 high-value properties allegedly connected to former Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, and two of his sons, Abdulaziz and Abiru-Rahman Malami.
The ruling was delivered on Tuesday by Justice Emeka Nwite following an ex-parte application filed by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
In a statement issued on Wednesday, EFCC spokesman, Dele Oyewale, said the properties, estimated at about N213.2 billion, are located across Abuja, Kebbi, Kano and Kaduna states and are suspected to be proceeds of unlawful activities.
Justice Nwite, while granting the application, directed that all assets listed in the schedule attached to the motion be temporarily forfeited to the Federal Government.
“It is hereby ordered that an interim order of this honourable court is made forfeiting to the Federal Government of Nigeria the properties described in Schedule 1, which are reasonably suspected to be proceeds of unlawful activities,” the judge ruled.
The court further ordered the anti-graft agency to publish the forfeiture order in a national newspaper, giving any interested persons 14 days to show cause why the properties should not be permanently confiscated.
The matter was adjourned to January 27, 2026, for a compliance report.
According to the EFCC, the assets include a wide range of commercial and residential developments such as hotels, university buildings, plazas, filling stations, factories, warehouses, schools, luxury duplexes and large parcels of land.
Among the notable properties listed are luxury duplexes in Maitama and Asokoro, hotel facilities in Jabi and Garki, commercial shops in Wuse II and major malls, filling stations, residential estates in Gwarimpa, Apo Legislative Quarters and Nasarawa GRA in Kano, as well as extensive farmlands and developments in Birnin Kebbi.
Several of the properties were reportedly purchased between 2016 and 2024 at costs ranging from tens of millions to several billions of naira, with some undergoing extensive enhancement that significantly raised their values.
The EFCC added that Malami, his wife, Bashir Asabe, and one of his sons, Abubakar Abdulaziz, are already standing trial before the same court over alleged N8.7 billion money-laundering charges.
The commission said the latest forfeiture order forms part of its ongoing efforts to recover assets believed to have been acquired with illicit funds.
