Justice Obiora Egwatu of the Federal High Court on Thursday withdrew from presiding over the asset forfeiture suit filed against former Attorney-General of the Federation Abubakar Malami, SAN, and two others, citing personal reasons.
The judge announced his decision shortly after counsel for the parties entered their appearances in court. He said his withdrawal was in the interest of justice.
Ladies and gentlemen, for personal reasons, and for the better interest of justice, I will recuse myself from this case,The instant charge CR/700/2025 filed FRN vs Abubakar Malami (SAN) and two others, shall be filed back to the Chief Judge for further directives
The development comes amid a high-profile legal dispute over 57 properties valued at about ₦213.2 billion, which were ordered to be temporarily forfeited to the Federal Government last month.
The interim forfeiture order was granted on January 6 by Justice Emeka Nwite following an ex parte application by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). The anti-graft agency said the properties were suspected proceeds of unlawful activities linked to Malami and his sons.
According to the EFCC, the assets include university buildings, hotels, plazas, filling stations, residential estates, and extensive parcels of land located in Abuja, Kebbi, Kano and Kaduna states. The commission maintains that the properties were reasonably suspected to have been illicitly acquired.
Justice Nwite had also directed the EFCC to publish the interim forfeiture order in a national newspaper and invite interested parties to show cause within 14 days why the assets should not be permanently forfeited to the Federal Government.
Malami, however, has challenged the forfeiture, insisting that his assets were legitimately acquired and duly declared to the appropriate authorities. He urged the court to dismiss the proceedings, arguing that the action violated his rights to property, presumption of innocence, and family life.
The former AGF also sought an order restraining the EFCC from interfering with three specific properties listed as numbers 9, 18, and 48 in the commission’s application. He maintained that one of the properties is held in trust for the estate of his late father, Kadi Malami.
