Court Orders Interim Forfeiture of 57 Properties Linked to Malami.
By Bala Salihu Dawakin Kudu
January 7, 2026.
Abuja — The Federal High Court in Abuja has ordered the interim forfeiture of 57 high-value properties allegedly linked to unlawful activities involving a former Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mr. Abubakar Malami, SAN.
Justice Emeka Nwite granted the order on Tuesday following an ex parte application filed by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and argued by its counsel, Ekele Iheanacho, SAN.
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The court held that the assets were reasonably suspected to be proceeds of unlawful activities and should, pending further proceedings, be forfeited to the Federal Government.
Although the ruling was delivered earlier in the week, a certified true copy (CTC) of the order was sighted on Wednesday by Democracy Newsline.
“It is hereby ordered that an interim order of this honourable court is hereby made forfeiting to the Federal Government of Nigeria the properties described in Schedule 1 below, which are reasonably suspected to be proceeds of unlawful activities,” Justice Nwite ruled.
The properties, described by the EFCC as running into several billions of naira, are spread across Abuja, Kano, Kebbi and Kaduna States. They include luxury residences, hotels, commercial plazas, warehouses, shopping units, and vast parcels of land.
Among the notable assets listed is a luxury duplex on Amazon Street in Maitama, Abuja, originally purchased in December 2022 for N500 million and now valued at about N5.95 billion after enhancement. Also listed is a two-winged multi-storey building at No. 3 Onitsha Crescent, Area 11, Garki—formerly Harmonia Hotels Limited—acquired in December 2018 for N7 billion.
Other prime properties include a five-storey hotel building in Jabi District, now operating as Meethaq Hotels with 53 rooms and valued at N8.4 billion; terraces in Asokoro District purchased in January 2021; and a 15-room hotel on Rhine Street, Maitama, whose value reportedly rose to nearly N13 billion after rehabilitation.
The forfeiture order also covers commercial shops in Wuse II and Wuse Market, twin houses in Apo Legislative Quarters, residential properties in Gwarimpa, Asokoro, and Kaduna, as well as large-scale investments in Kano and Kebbi, including a plaza near Birnin Kebbi Market, 100 hectares of land along the Birnin Kebbi–Jega Road, and multiple residential units acquired under the Khadimiyya for Justice & Development Initiative.
In addition to ordering the interim forfeiture, Justice Nwite directed that the ruling be published in a national daily newspaper. The publication, he said, should invite any individual or organisation claiming interest in the properties to appear before the court within 14 days to show cause why a final order of forfeiture should not be made.
The matter was adjourned to January 27, 2026, for a report on compliance with the court’s directives.
The forfeiture proceedings are linked to an ongoing criminal trial in which Malami, his wife, Hajia Bashir Asabe, and his son, Abubakar Abdulaziz, are standing trial before the same court on allegations bordering on N8.7 billion money laundering.
In the charge marked FHC/ABJ/CR/700/2025, the EFCC accused Malami, his family members, and an employee of Rahamaniyya Properties Ltd of engaging in suspicious financial transactions and attempting to conceal the illicit origin of funds through a web of bank accounts and property acquisitions in Abuja, Kano and Kebbi.
According to the anti-graft agency, the alleged offences were committed between 2015 and 2025—a period that includes the eight years Malami served as Attorney-General of the Federation under the administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari.
The EFCC alleged that the defendants conspired to disguise the origin of funds, acquire assets indirectly, and retain proceeds they knew or ought to have known were derived from unlawful activities, contrary to the provisions of the Money Laundering (Prohibition and Prevention) Acts of 2011 (as amended) and 2022.
In one of the counts, the commission claimed that between July 2022 and June 2025, Malami and his son allegedly directed a company, Metropolitan Auto Tech Limited, to conceal over N1 billion in a Sterling Bank account, knowing the funds were proceeds of unlawful activity.
The defendants have pleaded not guilty to the charges, and the trial is ongoing.
(DEMOCRACY NEWSLINE NEWSPAPER, JANUARY 7TH 2026)
