By Our Correspondent
National News – Nigeria’s anti-graft agency, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), has asked the Federal High Court in Abuja to grant a final order allowing the Federal Government to seize 57 properties allegedly linked to former Attorney General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami.
The commission said the assets, valued at about ₦213.2bn, are suspected proceeds of unlawful activities discovered during an extensive investigation.
The EFCC filed the request in a motion marked FHC/ABJ/CS/20/2026 before Justice Joyce Abdulmalik.
The application, led by senior lawyers Jibrin Okutepa (SAN) and Ekele Iheanacho (SAN), argued that the respondents failed to provide convincing evidence to overturn an earlier interim forfeiture order granted by the court.
According to the EFCC, the case is based on a non-conviction-based forfeiture process, which allows authorities to confiscate assets suspected to be proceeds of illegal activities even without a criminal conviction.
The commission relied on Section 17 of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud-Related Offences Act, 2006, to support its request for permanent forfeiture.
Investigations by the anti-corruption agency began after it received several petitions accusing Malami of corruption, abuse of office, and fraud during his tenure as Attorney General between 2015 and 2023.
An EFCC investigator, Daniel Adebayo, told the court that the probe included obtaining financial records from commercial banks and the Central Bank of Nigeria.
Investigators also consulted agencies such as the Corporate Affairs Commission, the Federal Inland Revenue Service, and the Code of Conduct Bureau.
The commission further revealed that land registries in Kebbi, Kano, Sokoto, and other states were examined, while physical verification and valuation of the properties were carried out.
The EFCC alleged that Malami’s total official earnings from salaries, allowances, and estacodes during his time in office did not match the massive value of the assets traced to him.
The 57 properties under investigation are spread across Abuja, Kebbi, Kano, and Kaduna states, with some reportedly linked to Rayhaan University in Kebbi.
Investigators also alleged that several properties were acquired through proxies and corporate entities connected to the former minister.
The case follows an interim forfeiture order granted on January 8, 2026, by Justice Emeka Nwite, which temporarily transferred the assets to the Federal Government pending further hearings.
Justice Abdulmalik has scheduled April 21, 2026, for the hearing of the EFCC’s application seeking a final forfeiture order.
