Court Orders Final Forfeiture of 48 Properties, University Linked to Ex-AGF Malami

Court Orders Final Forfeiture of 48 Properties, University Linked to Ex-AGF Malami

Justice Abdulmalik rules ownership claims cannot shield illicit wealth as EFCC secures major asset recovery victory.

The Federal High Court in Abuja has ordered the final forfeiture of 48 properties, including a university, linked to former Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami (SAN) , to the Federal Government. Delivering judgment on Wednesday, Justice Joyce Abdulmalik held that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) successfully established that the assets were reasonably suspected to be proceeds of unlawful activities. The judge ruled that Malami and other claimants failed to demonstrate that the properties were acquired through legitimate sources, dealing a significant blow to the former senior government official who had vigorously contested the forfeiture proceedings.

In dismissing multiple applications, motions on notice, and objections filed by Malami, members of his family, and companies associated with the assets, Justice Abdulmalik described all their arguments as lacking merit. The judge emphasized that the central legal question was not who owns the properties, but the legitimacy of the funds used to acquire them. “The issue before the court is not who owns the property, but how legitimate the funds used to acquire the properties are,” she declared, holding that the respondents “had not dislodged the reasonable suspicion that the properties were acquired by unlawful activities.” Relying on Section 17 of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offences Act, Justice Abdulmalik granted the EFCC’s application for final forfeiture, though she vacated the interim forfeiture order on nine properties initially sought by the anti-graft agency, ruling that the EFCC failed to prove they were acquired through unlawful activities.

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The EFCC had sought the permanent forfeiture of 57 properties valued at over ₦212.8 billion, alleging they were acquired with proceeds of unlawful activities, and the court’s ruling largely favored the commission’s case. The forfeited assets are spread across the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, and the states of Kebbi, Kano, and Kaduna, forming an extensive portfolio of prime real estate. Among the key assets now permanently forfeited are luxury hotels including Meethaq Hotels in Jabi, which boasts 53 rooms and suites, and another Meethaq property in Maitama with 15 rooms, as well as the former Harmonia Hotels complex in Garki, Abuja. The forfeiture also covers educational institutions such as the permanent, temporary, and third campuses of Rayhaan University, alongside the Rayhaan Model Academy in Kebbi State. In Abuja’s most exclusive neighborhoods, the court seized a luxury duplex on Amazon Street, Maitama; terraces at Property No. 3130, Asokoro; commercial property at Yakubu Gowon Crescent; twin houses at Apo Legislative Quarters; and properties in BUA Estate, Efab Estate, and Karsana District. Commercial properties including shops at Citiscape-Shariff Plaza and Vegas Mall in Wuse II, Abuja, as well as commercial plazas, warehouses, and filling stations in Kano and Kebbi, were also forfeited, alongside 100 hectares of land along the Birnin Kebbi-Jega Road, housing developments linked to Khadimiyya for Justice & Development Initiative, and various properties in Kaduna. According to the EFCC, many of these properties were acquired between 2016 and 2024 before being developed into luxury hotels, commercial complexes, and estates worth billions of naira.

Malami had vigorously challenged the forfeiture proceedings, insisting the assets were lawfully acquired and duly declared to the Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB) in 2019 and 2023. He argued that the EFCC relied on suspicion rather than credible evidence and failed to establish any link between the assets and criminal activity. In a 40-page affidavit, Malami claimed lawful income of ₦15.5 billion between 2015 and 2023, including salary, business turnover, bank loans, wedding gifts, and book launch proceeds, to justify the asset acquisitions. The court, however, dismissed these arguments, holding that the respondents failed to rebut the reasonable suspicion established by the EFCC, thereby affirming that mere declarations to the CCB do not immunize assets from forfeiture proceedings when reasonable suspicion of illicit acquisition exists.

This civil forfeiture is separate from the ongoing 16-count money laundering trial that Malami, his son Abdulaziz Malami, and his wife Hajia Bashir Asabe are facing before the Federal High Court. The EFCC alleges that the defendants laundered about ₦9 billion in public funds through the acquisition of choice properties across the country. The final forfeiture order represents one of the largest court-ordered asset recoveries in Nigeria, marking a significant victory for the EFCC in its anti-corruption efforts and sending a strong signal that public office holders cannot shield illicitly acquired assets through ownership claims or technical legal objections.

Court Orders Final Forfeiture of 48 Properties, University Linked to Ex-AGF Malami