A federal high court in Abuja has ordered the interim forfeiture of 57 properties allegedly linked to Nigeria’s former attorney general and minister of justice, Abubakar Malami, and two of his sons, in a major escalation of a corruption case brought by the country’s anti-graft agency.
Justice Emeka Nwite made the order on Tuesday after granting an ex parte application filed by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). The agency says the assets, valued at about ₦213.2bn, are reasonably suspected to be proceeds of unlawful activity.
In a statement issued on Wednesday, the EFCC’s spokesperson, Dele Oyewale, said the properties are spread across Abuja and the states of Kebbi, Kano, and Kaduna and include hotels, university buildings, plazas, filling stations, warehouses, factories, residential estates, shops, and large tracts of land.
In his ruling, Nwite ordered that all properties listed in the schedule attached to the motion be temporarily forfeited to the federal government. He further directed the EFCC to publish the order in a national newspaper, giving any interested parties 14 days to show cause why the assets should not be permanently forfeited. The case was adjourned to 27 January 2026 for a report on compliance.
Many of the assets are in high-end districts of the capital. They include a luxury duplex in Maitama, purchased in December 2022 for ₦500m and later upgraded to an estimated value of ₦5.95bn, as well as a large building in Garki formerly operating as Harmonia Hotels, acquired in 2018 for ₦7bn.
Also listed is a five-storey hotel building in Jabi, now operating as Meethaq Hotels, reportedly bought in 2020 for ₦850m at carcass level, with its current value put at ₦8.4bn. Other Abuja properties range from terraces in Asokoro and hotels in Maitama to shops in Wuse II, warehouses in Wuse Market and multiple residential homes in Gwarimpa, Apo and Asokoro.
Outside the capital, the EFCC named properties in Kano, Kaduna, and Kebbi, including houses in high-end government reservation areas, commercial plazas, warehouses, and more than 100 hectares of land along the Birnin Kebbi–Jega Road. The schedule also lists housing units and land reportedly acquired through a development initiative in Birnin Kebbi between 2023 and 2024.
Malami, his wife, Bashir Asabe, and one of his sons, Abdulaziz Malami, are already facing trial before the same court over alleged money laundering involving about ₦8.7bn.
During proceedings on Wednesday, Justice Nwite issued a stern warning to lawyers and litigants, cautioning against any attempt to improperly influence the court. “The law cannot be bent as far as this court is concerned,” he said, adding that any effort to tarnish the court’s integrity would be firmly resisted.
Earlier the same day, the judge granted Malami, his wife, and his son bail in the sum of ₦500m each in relation to a separate charge involving the alleged laundering of about ₦9bn. Each defendant was ordered to provide two sureties owning property in select Abuja districts, submit affidavits of means, and deposit travel documents with the court. Malami was barred from leaving Nigeria without permission.
Pending the fulfilment of the bail conditions, the former minister was ordered to be remanded at the Kuje correctional centre. The court fixed 17 February 2026 for the commencement of trial.
