A Federal High Court in Abuja has ordered the interim forfeiture of 57 properties allegedly linked to former Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami (SAN).
The order followed an ex-parte application filed by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), which told the court that the assets were reasonably suspected to be proceeds of unlawful activities. Justice Nwite granted the application, temporarily vesting control of the properties in the Federal Government.
The affected assets are spread across Abuja, Kebbi, Kano and Kaduna states and include luxury hotels, duplexes, plazas, warehouses, shopping units and residential estates reportedly acquired over several years.
Among the properties listed is a luxury duplex on Amazon Street, Maitama, Abuja, said to have been purchased in December 2022 for ₦500 million and later valued at ₦5.95 billion after renovations. Also included is a two-winged storey building on Onitsha Crescent, Area 11, Garki—formerly Harmonia Hotels Limited—acquired in December 2018 for ₦7 billion.
Another major asset is a five-storey hotel building in Jabi, currently operating as Meethaq Hotels Ltd, with 53 rooms and an estimated value of ₦8.4 billion after completion. Other properties include Meethaq Hotels Ltd in Maitama with 15 rooms, terraces in Asokoro, and several residential properties in Gwarimpa, Apo Legislative Quarters and Wuse II.
The forfeiture order further covers warehouses in Wuse Market, shopping units in Vegas Mall and Shariff Plaza, as well as multiple properties in Kano, Kaduna and Birnin Kebbi, including plazas, bungalows, land and housing units.
In his ruling, Justice Nwite held that the EFCC had established reasonable grounds to suspect that the properties were proceeds of unlawful activities.
“It is hereby ordered that an interim order of this honourable court is hereby made forfeiting to the Federal Government of Nigeria the properties described in Schedule 1 below which are reasonably suspected to be proceeds of unlawful activities,” the judge said.
The court also directed that the interim forfeiture order be published in a national daily newspaper, inviting interested parties to appear and show cause why the assets should not be permanently forfeited to the Federal Government.
