Abubakar Malami, former Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF), has filed an application at the Federal High Court in Abuja challenging the interim forfeiture of properties seized by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
The move follows a January 6 ruling by Justice Emema Nwite, which ordered the temporary forfeiture of 57 properties allegedly linked to Malami and two of his sons, valued at N213.2 billion. The court had directed the EFCC to publish the order and invited interested parties to appear within 14 days to contest a final forfeiture.
In a motion on notice filed on January 27, Malami, through his counsel Joseph Daudu, argued that the EFCC obtained the interim order through misrepresentation and suppression of material facts. He urged the court to set aside the forfeiture, emphasizing that the properties were lawfully acquired and properly declared in his asset declaration forms submitted to the Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB) between 2019 and 2023.
The former AGF specifically challenged the forfeiture of three properties, including a Plot 157, Lamido Crescent, Nasarawa GRA, Kano; a bedroom duplex with boys’ quarters at Wuse II, Abuja; and the ADC Kadi Malami Foundation Building, asserting that one property is held in trust for his late father’s estate.
Daudu outlined Malami’s declared sources of income, including salaries, allowances, board memberships, business proceeds, loans, traditional gifts, and book sales, asserting that these demonstrate the lawful acquisition of the properties.
He further argued that the interim forfeiture violates Malami’s rights to property, presumption of innocence, and family life, and warned that allowing it to stand could lead to duplicative litigation and conflicting outcomes.
