The Federal High Court in Abuja has issued a final forfeiture order for 48 properties linked to the former Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, directing that they be permanently surrendered to the Federal Government.

Presiding Judge Joyce Abdulmalik delivered the judgment, ruling that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) successfully established a reasonable suspicion that the assets were acquired using proceeds from illegal activities.

During the proceedings, Justice Abdulmalik dismissed several applications, motions on notice, and objections brought forward by Malami, his family members, and associated corporate entities, declaring them to be entirely without merit.

The court emphasized that the primary focus of the case was not to determine who legally owned the real estate, but rather to assess the legitimacy of the financial sources used to purchase them. The judge concluded that the respondents failed to provide sufficient evidence to counter the EFCC’s claims that the properties were tied to unlawful conduct.

The court relied on Section 17 of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offences Act to finalize the forfeiture of the 48 assets. However, the judge vacated the previous interim forfeiture order for some of the remaining properties under litigation, as the anti-graft agency could not convincingly prove that those specific assets were linked to illicit funds.

The legal battle originated in January when the EFCC initiated civil forfeiture proceedings targeting 57 properties valued at approximately ₦212.8 billion. Following an initial interim forfeiture order granted by a vacation judge, the anti-graft agency moved for a final order, arguing that Malami’s official earnings during his ministerial tenure were vastly disproportionate to the immense value of the acquired real estate portfolio.