By Amah
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Former Attorney-General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami, SAN, has asked a Federal High Court in Abuja to set aside an EFCC interim forfeiture order targeting three of his properties.
The properties—Plot 157, Lamido Crescent, Kano; a duplex at No. 12, Yalinga Street, Abuja; and the ADC Kadi Malami Foundation building—were among 57 assets listed by the anti-graft agency on January 6, suspected to be proceeds of unlawful activities.
Justice Nwite had granted the EFCC’s ex-parte motion, directing the commission to publish the order for public objections within 14 days. The properties span Abuja, Kano, Kebbi, and Kaduna states.
Malami’s legal team, led by Joseph Daudu, SAN, argued that the EFCC obtained the order through “suppression of material facts and misrepresentation” and that the properties were fully declared in his asset declaration forms submitted to the Code of Conduct Bureau in 2019 and 2023. Property No. 48, they said, is held in trust for the estate of Malami’s late father.
The motion seeks to vacate the interim forfeiture order and restrain the EFCC from interfering with Malami’s ownership, possession, or control of the properties. Malami maintains that the assets were acquired through legitimate income, including salaries, business turnover, loans, gifts, and proceeds from his book, Contemporary Issues on Nigerian Law and Practice.
Malami is also facing a separate EFCC money laundering charge and is detained by the Department of State Services over allegations of terrorism financing.
The court had adjourned the matter for a report on the publication of the interim order, but proceedings were delayed due to the reassignment of vacation cases.
