A Federal High Court sitting in Abuja has ordered the interim forfeiture of 57 properties valued at about N213.2bn and allegedly linked to a former Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, and two of his sons, Abdulaziz and Abiru Rahman, to the Federal Government.
The order was granted on Tuesday by Justice Emeka Nwite following an ex parte application filed by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission through its counsel, Ekele Iheanacho.
The ruling was confirmed in a statement issued on Wednesday by the EFCC spokesperson, Dele Oyewale, who said the assets are suspected to be proceeds of unlawful activities.
According to the commission, the properties are spread across Abuja, Kebbi, Kano and Kaduna states and include hotels, residential buildings, plazas, filling stations, schools, warehouses, factories, university structures and vast parcels of land.
In his ruling, Justice Nwite ordered that the properties listed in the schedule attached to the motion be temporarily forfeited to the Federal Government pending the determination of the case.
“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 One, which are reasonably suspected to be proceeds of unlawful activities,” the judge ruled.
The court also directed the EFCC to publish the interim forfeiture order in a national newspaper to allow any interested parties to appear within 14 days and show cause why the assets should not be permanently forfeited.
The matter was adjourned to January 27, 2026, for a report on compliance with the court’s directives.
Among the listed properties are a luxury duplex located on Amazon Street in Maitama, Abuja, acquired in December 2022 for N500m and later enhanced to an estimated value of N5.95bn, as well as a large storey building on Onitsha Crescent in Garki, formerly operating as a hotel, purchased in 2018 for N7bn.
Also included is a five storey hotel building in Jabi District acquired at carcass level in 2020 and later completed at a total estimated value of N8.4bn, multiple residential terraces in Asokoro, a hotel facility on Rhine Street in Maitama, and several commercial properties in Wuse II and Gwarimpa.
Other assets listed by the EFCC include properties in Kano, Kaduna and Kebbi states, comprising luxury homes, plazas, warehouses, shopping outlets, filling stations, estates and over 100 hectares of land along the Birnin Kebbi Jega Road.
The forfeiture list further includes several housing units and landed assets acquired between 2016 and 2023, as well as properties linked to Khadimiyya for Justice and Development Initiative within the Academic Garden City in Birnin Kebbi.
Meanwhile, Malami, his wife, Bashir Asabe, and one of his sons, Abubakar Abdulaziz, are currently facing trial before Justice Nwite over alleged N8.7bn money laundering offences.
