The Federal High Court in Abuja has ordered the final forfeiture of 48 properties linked to former Attorney General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami, to the Federal Government.
Delivering judgment on Wednesday, Justice Joyce Abdulmalik ruled that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) met the legal threshold of “reasonable suspicion” required to justify the forfeiture.
The court held that Malami, his family members, and associated companies failed to prove that the assets were acquired through legitimate means. It emphasized that the case was not about ownership but the source of funds used to acquire the properties.
“The issue is not who owns the property, but the legitimacy of the funds used,” the judge stated.
Justice Abdulmalik also dismissed multiple applications filed by the respondents, describing them as lacking merit. She affirmed that the EFCC had sufficiently shown that the properties were suspected proceeds of unlawful activities.
The ruling was based on provisions of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offences Act, which allows forfeiture based on reasonable suspicion.
However, the court lifted interim forfeiture orders on some of the assets.
The EFCC had earlier sought the forfeiture of 57 properties valued at about ₦212.8 billion, located across Abuja, Kano, Kebbi, and Kaduna states. An interim forfeiture order was granted in January, prompting Malami and other respondents to challenge the action, insisting the properties were lawfully acquired.
The EFCC argued that the assets were held through proxies and that civil forfeiture proceedings only require proof of suspicion, not criminal conviction.
After reviewing submissions from both sides, the court reserved judgment in May and delivered its final ruling on Wednesday.
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