EFCC Seeks Remaining Forfeiture Of 57 Properties Linked To Ex-AGF Malami

The {Economic} and {Financial} Crimes Fee (EFCC) has requested the Federal Excessive Courtroom in Abuja, to make an order for the everlasting forfeiture of 57 properties allegedly linked to former Lawyer-Common of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice, Mr. Abubakar Malami, SAN, to the federal authorities.

In a movement on discover for last forfeiture of the stated property, the fee by means of its group of legal professionals, led by Mr. Jibrin Okutepa, SAN, and Ekele Iheanacho, SAN, advised Justice Joyce Abdulmalik that the respondents had failed to put adequate proof earlier than the court docket, to warrant the court docket to vacate its earlier order for the interim forfeiture of the 57 properties.

The previous AGF, his son, Abdulaziz Abubakar, spouse, Hajia Bashir Asabe, Abiru’ Rahman Abubakar Malami are listed as 1st to 4th respondents within the go well with marked: FHC/ABJ/CS/20/2026.

Others are Rayhaan Bustan and Agro Allied Ltd, Mountain View Gold and Jewelry Ltd, Amasdul Oil and Gasoline Ltd, Azbir Area Nigeria Ltd, Meethaq Lodges Ltd as fifth to ninth respondents.

In addition they embrace Rayhaan College Ltd/GTE, Rayhaan Lodges Ltd, Zeenoor Lodges Ltd, Kawsar Ben of Brahim, Alhaji Muktaka Usman Junju, Actual Edge Agro Providers Ltd as tenth to fifteenth respondents respectively.

The appliance was introduced pursuant to Part 17 of the Advance Charge Fraud and Different Fraud-Associated Offences Act, No. 14 of 2006.

Particularly, the fee is looking for “a last order of this honourable court docket forfeiting to the Federal Authorities of Nigeria, the properties described within the schedule under, which have been discovered by the fee as properties moderately suspected to be proceeds of illegal actions.”

The appliance is based on six grounds amongst which is that the court docket has the statutory powers beneath the provisions of Part 17 of the Advance Charge Fraud and Different Fraud-Associated Offences Act, 2006, to grant the reliefs being sought.

Whereas observing that the movement is a non-conviction-based asset forfeiture, applicant submitted that the properties sought to be connected and forfeited are moderately suspected to be proceeds of illegal actions.

“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 revealed in a nationwide each day, particularly THISDAY Newspaper of ninth January, 2026.

“No adequate trigger has been proven why the properties beneath the interim forfeiture order shouldn’t be lastly forfeited to the Federal Authorities of Nigeria,” Okutepa argued.

Within the affidavit in assist of the movement, the fee claimed it acquired a number of petitions in opposition to the previous minister from completely different organisations alleging a critical case of corruption, abuse of workplace and fraud.

Deponent of the affidavit, an investigating officer with the Particular Duties Committee of the EFCC, Daniel Adebayo, disclosed that upon receipt of the collection of petitions, his group carried out a number of investigation actions which included making inquiries and receiving {financial} data from industrial banks and the Central {Bank} of Nigeria (CBN).

He added that the group invited and interviewed people who featured within the investigation.

He listed Malami’s lawful sources of earnings whereas he served as minister between 2015 and 2023, together with salaries, allowances, estacodes, which complete sums weren’t proportionate to the alleged properties he illegally acquired.

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

“Mr. Abubakar Malami, SAN, was the Hon. Minister of Justice and Lawyer Common 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 median fee of N962,663.68 per 30 days.

“He additionally acquired 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 acquired 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.

“Connected and collectively marked as Exhibit EFCC 2 & 3 are copies of the asset declaration types stuffed out by Mr. Malami SAN from 2015 to 2023, along with a letter dated June 16, 2023 written by him to the Chairman of the CCB as addendum to the property declaration kind as discovered at his home throughout EFCC’s execution of search warrant.”

He stated, “Apart the precise acquisition of the properties that are manifestly disproportionate to Mr. Malami‘s identified and lawful sources of earnings, no constructing permits/approvals from applicable authorities have been obtained to erect a lot of the varied buildings in Kano and Kebbi States as a part of a scheme to disguise illegal origin of the funds used to accumulate the property.”

Adebayo alleged that Malami not directly acquired among the a number of property both in his identify or by means of third-party people or entrance firms/entities (that are at present beneath his chairmanship vide the Rayhaan Group Ltd).

The EFCC listed the 57 multi-billion naira landed properties positioned in Abuja, Kebbi, Kano and Kaduna States, together with momentary and everlasting websites of Rayhaan College in Kebbi.

Justice Abdulmalik had fastened April 21 for the listening to of the fee’s movement.

Recall {that a} sister court docket, presided over by Justice Emeka Nwite, had, on January 6, ordered the interim forfeiture of the 57 properties suspected to be proceeds of illegal actions to the federal authorities.

The decide made the order following an ex-parte movement moved by the EFCC’s lawyer, Iheanacho.

The decide directed the fee to publish the order in a nationwide each day for individual(s) to point out trigger, inside 14 days, why all of the properties shouldn’t be completely forfeited to the federal authorities.

The case was, nevertheless, reassigned to Justice Obiora Egwuatu after the holiday ended however Egwuatu recused himself from the matter, citing private causes and within the curiosity of justice, earlier than it was reassigned to Abdulmalik.

Malami and others had since challenged the anti-graft company’s civil go well with, praying the court docket to vacate the order.

Alex Enumah in Abuja

Times Nigeria