A Federal High Court in Abuja has ordered the final forfeiture of 48 properties linked to former Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, SAN, to the Federal Government of Nigeria.
Justice Joyce Abdulmalik delivered the judgment on Wednesday, July 15, 2026, after the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) established grounds for the permanent forfeiture of the assets.
The court held that the properties were reasonably suspected to have been acquired through proceeds of unlawful activities and that they were not shown to have been purchased from legitimate sources of income.
The ruling followed an application by the EFCC seeking the permanent forfeiture of the assets after the commission had earlier secured an interim forfeiture order from the court.
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The anti-graft agency had alleged that the properties, linked to the former justice minister, were acquired through funds that could not be satisfactorily justified, prompting the recovery proceedings.
Malami and other interested parties had opposed the forfeiture application, arguing that the properties were lawfully acquired and challenging the basis of the EFCC’s claims.
Malami served as Nigeria’s Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice from 2015 to 2023 under the administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari.
With the court’s latest decision, ownership of the affected properties will now transfer to the Federal Government as forfeited assets.
The judgment represents a significant development in the EFCC’s asset recovery efforts involving properties suspected to have been acquired through unlawful means.