Former Attorney-General of the Federation and Justice Minister Abubakar Malami has asked the Federal High Court in Abuja to set aside an interim order forfeiting some of his properties to the federal government, saying the assets were lawfully acquired and properly declared to the relevant authorities.
Malami is challenging a forfeiture order obtained by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, providing what he described as a detailed account of his income and financial gifts.
On January 6, Justice Emeka Nwite granted an ex parte application by the EFCC for the interim forfeiture of 57 properties allegedly linked to Malami and two of his sons, Abdulaziz and Abiru Rahman.
The judge ruled that the properties were reasonably suspected to be proceeds of unlawful activity and ordered the EFCC to take temporary possession of the assets. He also directed the agency to publish the forfeiture order in a national newspaper, inviting interested parties to show within 14 days why the properties should not be permanently forfeited.
In a motion on notice filed Monday through his lawyer, Joseph Daudu, a senior advocate of Nigeria, Malami accused the EFCC of securing the interim order by suppressing material facts and misrepresenting information.
He asked the court to dismiss the forfeiture proceedings, warning they could lead to conflicting decisions and duplicative litigation. Malami also argued that the action violated his constitutional rights to property, the presumption of innocence and family life. In the application, marked FHC/ABJ/CS/20/2026 and filed on January 27, Malami specifically challenged the forfeiture of three properties listed as number 9, 18 and 48 in the EFCC’s application.
The disputed properties include Plot 157, Lamido Crescent, Nasarawa GRA, Kano, purchased on July 31, 2019; a bedroom duplex with boys’ quarters at No. 12, Yalinga Street, off Adetokunbo Ademola Crescent, Wuse II, Abuja, acquired in October 2018 for N150 million, and the ADC Kadi Malami Foundation Building, reportedly purchased for N56 million.
Malami is asking the court to set aside the interim forfeiture order as it affects the three properties and to restrain the EFCC from interfering with his ownership, possession, and control of them. He also maintained that one of the properties is held in trust for the estate of his late father, Kadi Malami.