Nigeria’s anti-corruption campaign recorded one of its most significant judicial victories on Wednesday after the Federal High Court in Abuja ordered the final forfeiture of 48 high-value properties worth an estimated N212 billion linked to former Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami.
Justice Joyce Abdulmalik granted the application filed by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), ruling that the assets be permanently forfeited to the Federal Government after dismissing objections lodged by Malami, members of his family and several companies claiming ownership of the properties.
In a ruling that underscored the court’s focus on the legitimacy of wealth rather than ownership claims, the judge held that the central issue was not who possessed the properties but whether the funds used to acquire them could be lawfully justified.
“The issue before this court is not who owns the property, but how legitimate are the funds used to acquire the properties,” Justice Abdulmalik ruled.
The judgment followed an extensive EFCC investigation into the acquisition of dozens of luxury assets allegedly linked to the former justice minister across several states.
The affected properties are spread across the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Kebbi, Kano and Kaduna states, and comprise an extensive portfolio of luxury hotels, residential estates, commercial plazas, warehouses, shopping complexes, educational institutions, industrial facilities and high-end private residences.
Among the most valuable assets ordered forfeited are multiple luxury hotels in Abuja and Kano, including the Meethaq Hotels in Maitama and Jabi, Rayhaan Hotel in Kano, and Zeennoor Hotel with 131 rooms. Also listed are the permanent, temporary and third campuses of Rayhaan University in Kebbi State, alongside agro-allied factories, shopping centres, filling stations, schools, warehouses and expansive tracts of land.
The forfeiture also covers several premium residential properties located in Abuja’s exclusive Maitama, Asokoro, Wuse II, Gwarimpa, Jabi and Apo districts, as well as luxury homes in Kano, Kaduna and Birnin Kebbi.
The properties were among 57 assets initially seized through an interim forfeiture order obtained by the EFCC. Following Wednesday’s judgment, 48 of those properties have now been permanently transferred to the Federal Government, while the remaining assets were not covered by the final forfeiture order.
The ruling marks one of the largest court-backed asset recoveries in Nigeria’s anti-corruption drive in recent years, both in value and in the scale of the properties involved.
The forfeited portfolio includes:
* Luxury duplexes and high-end residential estates in Abuja;
* Meethaq Hotels in Maitama and Jabi;
* Rayhaan University campuses in Kebbi State;
* Rayhaan Agro Allied Factory and industrial facilities;
* Azbir Hotel, printing press, gallery and commercial buildings;
* Rayhaan schools and academy;
* Warehouses, shopping plazas and commercial outlets;
* Filling stations, warehouses and large agricultural landholdings;
* Zeennoor Hotel and Rayhaan Hotel in Kano; and
* Several private residences allegedly linked to Malami and members of his immediate family.
The EFCC had argued that the assets represented proceeds of unlawful enrichment and asked the court to permanently vest them in the Federal Government. Malami and the affected parties opposed the application, maintaining their claims over the properties, but the court found their objections lacking in merit and upheld the anti-graft agency’s application.
Wednesday’s decision further strengthens the EFCC’s ongoing efforts to recover assets believed to have been acquired with illicit wealth and reinforces judicial support for the forfeiture of assets whose sources cannot be satisfactorily explained.
