EFCC Strikes to Seize 57 Properties Linked to Ex-AGF Malami

The {Economic} and {Financial} Crimes Fee (EFCC) has requested the Federal Excessive Courtroom in Abuja to completely seize 57 properties allegedly linked to former Lawyer Normal of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami.

Politics Nigeria stories that the request was introduced earlier than Justice Joyce Abdulmalik as a part of an ongoing authorized battle over property suspected to be proceeds of illegal actions.

The anti-graft company is in search of a closing forfeiture order in favour of the Federal Authorities.

In a movement filed by its authorized crew led by Jibrin Okutepa (SAN) and Ekele Iheanacho (SAN), the EFCC argued that the respondents didn’t justify why the sooner interim forfeiture order must be reversed.

The case, marked FHC/ABJ/CS/20/2026, lists Malami, Hajia Bashir Asabe, Abiru’ Rahman Abubakar Malami, and several other firms believed to be related to the property.

The fee advised the court docket that the appliance was backed by provisions of the Advance Payment Fraud and Different Fraud-Associated Offences Act, 2006.

It urged the court docket to grant “a closing order of this honourable court docket forfeiting to the Federal Authorities of Nigeria, the properties described within the schedule beneath, which had been discovered by the fee as properties moderately suspected to be proceeds of illegal actions.”

Talking throughout proceedings, Okutepa defined that the matter entails a non-conviction-based forfeiture. He famous that the court docket had already granted an interim order and that due course of was adopted by publishing the discover in a nationwide newspaper.

“This honourable court docket made an interim order forfeiting the properties to the Federal Authorities of Nigeria.

“The order of the honourable court docket has been printed in a nationwide every day, specifically THISDAY Newspaper of ninth January, 2026.

“No enough trigger has been proven why the properties underneath the interim forfeiture order shouldn’t be lastly forfeited to the Federal Authorities of Nigeria,” he mentioned.

Particulars from an affidavit deposed to by EFCC investigator, Daniel Adebayo, revealed that the probe started after a number of petitions accused the previous minister of corruption, abuse of workplace and fraud.

In accordance with the investigator, the fee examined {financial} data from business banks and the Central {Bank} of Nigeria. It additionally sought data from businesses together with the Company Affairs Fee, Federal Inland Income Service, Code of Conduct Bureau and the Abuja Geographical Data System.

He added that land registries in Kebbi, Sokoto and Kano states had been contacted, whereas bodily inspections and valuation of the properties had been carried out. People linked to the transactions had been additionally invited for questioning.

The EFCC maintained that Malami’s official earnings throughout his time in workplace had been far beneath the worth of the property traced to him.

“I do know as a truth and verily imagine the findings of the investigation, that are as follows:

“Mr Abubakar Malami (SAN) was the Hon. Minister of Justice and Lawyer Normal of the Federation, hereinafter known as HAGF, from 2015 to 2023.

“He was paid a complete of N89,664,000.00 as wage between 2015 and 2023, while in workplace, with a mean cost of N962,663.68 monthly.

“He additionally obtained a severance allowance of N12,158,400.00 on the finish of his tenure in workplace.

“Mr Malami SAN was additionally paid estacodes allowances to cowl his journey bills at any time when he travelled outdoors the nation on official journeys.

“He calculated and declared a complete sum of N253,608,500.00 as the quantity he obtained for the official journeys between 2015 and 2023 in a letter written to the Chairman of the CCB as an addendum to his Property Declaration Kind in June 2023.

“Hooked up and collectively marked as Exhibit EFCC 2 & 3 are copies of the asset declaration types crammed out by Mr Malami SAN from 2015 to 2023, along with a letter dated sixteenth of June, 2023, written by him to the Chairman of the CCB as an addendum to the asset declaration kind as discovered at his home throughout EFCC’s execution of a search warrant.”

Adebayo additional advised the court docket that most of the properties had been acquired in ways in which raised suspicion, together with the usage of proxies and firms.

“Apart from the precise acquisition of the properties that are manifestly disproportionate to Mr Malami SAN‘s recognized and lawful sources of earnings, no constructing permits/approvals from applicable authorities had been obtained to erect many of the varied buildings in Kano and Kebbi states as a part of a scheme to disguise the illegal origin of the funds used to amass the property.”

The properties, mentioned to be unfold throughout Abuja, Kebbi, Kano and Kaduna states, embrace property linked to Rayhaan College in Kebbi. Their whole worth is estimated at about N213.2 billion.

Justice Abdulmalik has fastened April 21 for listening to of the movement.

The event follows an earlier ruling by Justice Emeka Nwite on January 8, 2026, which granted an interim forfeiture of the property after an ex parte software by the EFCC. The court docket had additionally directed that the order be printed to permit events contest it inside 14 days.

Nevertheless, Malami and different respondents have since challenged the method, asking the court docket to put aside the interim forfeiture order.