A Nigerian federal court has ordered the final forfeiture of 48 properties linked to the country’s former Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami.
In a ruling delivered in Abuja on Wednesday, Justice Joyce Abdulmalik held that the anti-graft agency, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), had successfully proven the assets were the proceeds of “unlawful activities”.
The judge dismissed several counter-applications filed by Mr. Malami, his family members, and associated companies, stating the core issue was not who owned the assets but “how legitimate are the funds used to acquire the properties”. She ruled that the former minister had failed to prove the acquisitions came from lawful sources.
However, the court rejected the EFCC’s bid to seize nine other properties in Kebbi and Kaduna states, ruling that the agency had failed to link them to illegal activity.
Massive wealth under scrutiny
The ruling is the culmination of a legal battle that began in January, when the court ordered the temporary forfeiture of 57 properties suspected to be linked to Mr Malami and two of his sons, Abdulaziz and Abiru Rahman.
According to the EFCC, the sprawling portfolio of assets—which includes hotels, schools, residential estates, land, and a printing press—is valued at ₦213. 2bn (£85m; $111m). The properties are spread across Kebbi, Kano, and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
Mr. Malami had strongly fought the seizures, accusing the EFCC of “manifest exaggeration” and “malicious inflation” of his asset values to mislead the court.
Ongoing criminal trial
The final forfeiture of the 48 properties comes as the former chief law officer faces direct criminal prosecution.
The EFCC is currently prosecuting Mr. Malami, alongside his wife and son, on a separate 16-count charge of money laundering.
The trial borders on the alleged laundering of over ₦8.7bn (£3.5m; $4.5m) during his tenure as Nigeria’s attorney-general under the previous administration.
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