Court has ordered the final forfeiture of N212.8bn assets linked to Ex-AGF Abubakar Malami.
NewsOnline Nigeria reports that Federal High Court in Abuja has ordered the permanent forfeiture of assets valued at approximately $154.6 million (N212.8 billion) linked to former Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, in one of Nigeria’s largest civil asset recovery cases in recent years.
Justice Joyce Abdulmalik delivered the judgment after ruling that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) had established reasonable grounds to show that the assets were allegedly acquired with proceeds of unlawful activities rather than legitimate income.
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The ruling followed civil forfeiture proceedings initiated by the EFCC against 57 properties allegedly linked to Malami and companies associated with him.
The court granted the final forfeiture of 48 properties to the Federal Government but declined to permanently forfeit nine others, holding that the anti-graft agency failed to sufficiently establish that those assets were proceeds of crime.
The forfeited assets include a luxury duplex in Abuja, a university campus, an agro-allied factory, and several residential and commercial properties located across northern Nigeria.
In her judgment, Justice Abdulmalik dismissed objections filed by Malami, members of his family, and companies linked to the properties, ruling that they failed to rebut the evidence presented by the EFCC.
According to the judge, the key issue before the court was not the ownership of the assets but whether the funds used to acquire them originated from legitimate sources.
She held that the respondents failed to disprove the reasonable suspicion that the assets were acquired through unlawful means, thereby paving the way for their permanent forfeiture.
The judgment represents a major milestone in the EFCC’s ongoing investigation into Malami, who served as Nigeria’s Attorney-General and Minister of Justice between 2015 and 2023 during the administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari.
The civil forfeiture proceedings are separate from Malami’s ongoing criminal trial, where he is facing 16 counts bordering on alleged money laundering and conspiracy involving billions of naira. The former minister has pleaded not guilty, and the case remains before the court.
Under Nigeria’s civil forfeiture laws, courts can order the confiscation of assets reasonably suspected to be proceeds of unlawful activities without waiting for the conclusion of criminal proceedings, provided the applicant establishes sufficient legal grounds.
The ruling is expected to rank among the most significant asset recovery judgments involving a former senior public official in Nigeria.
