By Abigail David
The Federal High Court in Abuja has ordered the final forfeiture of 48 properties linked to former Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, to the Federal Government.
In a judgment delivered on Wednesday, Justice Joyce Abdulmalik held that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) established the legal threshold of “reasonable suspicion” required under the law to support the forfeiture application.
The court ruled that Malami, his family members and companies connected to the properties did not sufficiently rebut the EFCC’s allegation that the assets were acquired with proceeds of unlawful activities.
Justice Abdulmalik also dismissed applications filed by the respondents challenging the proceedings, stating that the central issue before the court was the legitimacy of the funds used to acquire the properties rather than ownership.
Relying on Section 17 of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offences Act, the court granted the EFCC’s application for final forfeiture of 48 properties. However, it discharged the interim forfeiture order on some of the assets.
The EFCC had initiated civil forfeiture proceedings in January, seeking the permanent forfeiture of 57 properties valued at about ₦212.8 billion, alleging they were proceeds of unlawful activities. Following an interim forfeiture order, Malami, members of his family and several companies challenged the application, arguing that the assets were lawfully acquired and that the commission had not established a link between the properties and any unlawful conduct.
