A 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, after the EFCC successfully established the assets were reasonably suspected to be proceeds of unlawful activities and Malami’s camp failed to prove legitimate acquisition.
Former Attorney-General of the Federation Abubakar Malami, SAN, has lost a staggering portfolio of properties to the Federal Government — and the list reads like a small empire.
Justice Joyce Abdulmalik of the Federal High Court, Abuja, on Wednesday delivered judgment ordering the final forfeiture of 48 properties linked to Malami to the Federal Government, following a successful application by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), according to court proceedings reported by EFCC correspondents.
Sahara Reporters reports that the forfeited assets span an extraordinary range — from Rayhaan University in Kebbi State, complete with its permanent site, temporary site, third site, Vice Chancellor’s residence, and a radio station, to luxury hotels including the 53-room Meethaq Hotels in Jabi, Abuja, and the 131-room Zeennoor Hotel in Kano. Also seized were the Azbir Arena complex in Kebbi — comprising a hotel, printing press, gallery, gardens, mosque, clothing outlet, and pharmacy — alongside filling stations, an agro-allied factory, commercial plazas, warehouses, farmland, and residential properties scattered across Abuja, Kano, Kaduna, and Kebbi State.
The court held that the EFCC had sufficiently established the properties were “reasonably suspected to have been acquired with proceeds of unlawful activities,” and that Malami and his co-respondents — 14 individuals including family members and associates — had failed to discharge the evidential burden placed on them.
“The respondents merely claimed ownership of the properties without providing proof of how they acquired them with funds from lawful sources,” Justice Abdulmalik ruled.
The legal journey began on January 6, 2026, when Justice Emeka Nwite granted an interim forfeiture order. Following newspaper publication of the interim order, Malami and 14 others filed applications challenging the court’s jurisdiction and seeking to set the order aside. The case was heard on May 27, 2026, before Wednesday’s judgment.
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