‎Court Orders Final Forfeiture of 57 Properties Worth N212.8bn Linked to Ex-AGF Malami

A Federal High Court in Abuja has ordered the final forfeiture of 57 properties valued at about N212.8 billion allegedly linked to former Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, ruling that the assets be permanently forfeited to the Federal Government.

Justice Joyce Abdulmalik delivered the judgment on Wednesday after granting the application filed by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), holding that the respondents failed to rebut the commission’s reasonable suspicion that the properties were acquired through unlawful activities.

The court dismissed multiple applications, motions and notices filed by Malami, members of his family and companies linked to the properties, describing them as lacking merit.

‎The forfeiture followed a civil action initiated by the EFCC in January 2026, seeking permanent forfeiture of the assets allegedly traced to the former justice minister. During the Federal High Court’s annual vacation, Justice Emeka Nwite had granted an interim forfeiture order and directed the anti-graft agency to publish the order in a national newspaper to allow interested parties to challenge the application.

‎The affected properties are spread across the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, as well as Kano, Kaduna and Kebbi states. They include hotels, luxury residential buildings, schools, university structures, shopping plazas, warehouses, filling stations, agricultural facilities, commercial outlets and large parcels of land.

‎Among the assets listed are luxury hotels in Maitama and Jabi, Abuja, high-value duplexes and commercial buildings in Asokoro, Wuse, Garki and Gwarimpa, as well as properties in Kano and Kebbi valued at several billions of naira.

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‎Some of them are: Luxury Duplex at Amazon Street, Plot No. 3011 Within Cadastral Zone, A06 Maitama; File No: AN enhancement 11352, which was purchased in December 2022 at N500, 000, 000.00 (value after enhancement at N5,950,000,000).

‎Two Winged Large Storey Building Situate at No. 3, Onitsha Crescent, Area 11,Garki, Cadastral Zone, A03, Abuja (formerly Harmonia Hotels Limited), FCT, which was purchased Dec. 2018 at N7,000,000,000.

‎Plot 683, Jabi District, Cadastral Zone B04, Comprising of a five storey Building (Now Luxurious Meethaq Hotels Ltd, Jabi with 53 rooms/suites), which was purchased in Sept. 2020 at carcass level at N850,000,000 with additional N300,000,000 to take possession (value after completion N8,400,000,000).

‎Property No. 3130 within Cadastral Zone A04, Asokoro District, FCT, Abuja, Comprising Terraces, purchased in January 2021 at N360,000,000.

‎Property No. 3 Rhine Street, Maitama, Abuja (Meethaq Hotels Limited, Maitama With 15 ROOMS), which was purchased in February 2018 at N430,000,000 (current value after rehabilitation is N12,950,000,000).

‎Plot No. 1241B, Asokoro District Zone (No. 11A Yakubu Gowon Crescent) Asokoro District, which was purchased in July 2021 at N325,000,000.

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Shop No. C82 Citiscape — Shariff Plaza, Plot 739 Cadastral Zone A07, Aminu Kano Crescent, Wuse Il, FCT, Abuja, which was purchased in March 2024 at N120,000,000.

No. 4 Ahmadu Bello Way, Nasarawa GRA, Kano, which was purchased in December 2022 at N300,000,000.

Plot 157, Lamido Crescent, Nasarawa, GRA, Kano, purchased in July 2019 with no specific amount stated.

‎A Plaza, Commercial Toilets, Laundering, Warehouse Tanks Adjacent.

‎100 Hectares Of Land Along Birnin Kebbi, Jega Road, which was purchased in 2020 at N100,000,000.

Four Bedroom Bungalow Gesse Phase, Birnin Kebbi, which was purchased in 2023 at N101,000, 000.

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‎Shops Nos. A36, B3 Vegas Mall, Wuse 2, Abuja, which was purchased in July 2023 at N158,000,000.

No. 26, Babbi Drive, Bua Estate, Abuja, purchased in 2022 at N136,000,000.

‎No. 27, Efab Estates Avenue, 59™ Crescent, Gwarimpa, Abuja, purchased in January 2016 at N120,000,000.

‎Four Bedroom/ 2 Rooms Boys Quarters At No. 10B, Doka Crescent Abakpa GRA, Kaduna, purchased in Jan. 2018 at N40, 000, 000.00.

Plot No. 13, Ipent 7 Estate, Karsana District, Abuja, purchased in June 2018 at N85,000,000.

A Bedroom Duplex & Boys Quarters At No. 12 Yalinga Street, Off Adetokunbo Ademola Crescent, Wuse Il, Abuja, purchased in Oct. 2018 at N150,000,000.

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Two Warehouse Shops B40 And B46, Wuse Market, Abuja, purchased in July 2020 at N50,000,000.

‎Twin Houses At Zone E, Apo Legislative Quarters, Cadastral Zone B01, Plot 14014, Gudu District, Abuja, was purchased between February and May 2017 at N250,000,000.

The respondents further maintained that the anti-graft agency neither proved that the assets were proceeds of crime nor identified any specific offence from which they were allegedly derived.

‎In response, the EFCC told the court that its investigations revealed the properties were acquired with proceeds of unlawful activities and held through individuals and companies acting as fronts for Malami. The commission argued that under the law, it only needed to establish a “reasonable suspicion” to justify forfeiture, rather than prove the allegations beyond reasonable doubt.

In her ruling, Justice Abdulmalik held that the central issue before the court was not ownership of the properties but the legitimacy of the funds used to acquire them.

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‎She ruled that the respondents failed to dislodge the reasonable suspicion raised by the EFCC regarding the source of the assets and relied on Section 17 of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offences Act in granting the final forfeiture order.

The judge, however, set aside the interim forfeiture order in respect of some of the listed properties while directing that the remaining assets be permanently forfeited to the Federal Government.

The judgment brings to a close months of legal proceedings that began with the interim forfeiture order issued in January and concluded after both parties adopted their final written addresses in May. The court had earlier postponed judgment before delivering its final decision on Wednesday.‎