The immediate past Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mr Abubakar Malami, SAN, who is standing trial over alleged money laundering, has explained the source of his wealth before the Federal High Court in Abuja.
Malami, SAN, urged the court to release three of the 57 properties seized by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), insisting that one was inherited from his late father while the others were acquired before his appointment as Attorney-General of the Federation.
He identified the properties as Plot 157, Lamido Crescent, Nasarawa GRA, Kano, purchased on July 31, 2019; a bedroom duplex with boys’ quarters at No. 12, Yalinga Street, off Adetokunbo Ademola Crescent, Wuse II, Abuja, bought in October 2018 for N150 million; and the ADC Kadi Malami Foundation building, acquired for N56 million.
The EFCC listed the assets as numbers 9, 18 and 48 in the schedule attached to the interim forfeiture order it obtained from the court.
In an application filed through his counsel, Mr Joseph Daudu, SAN, the former AGF sought two reliefs, including an order setting aside the interim forfeiture issued on January 6, 2026, on the grounds that the properties were duly declared in his asset forms throughout his tenure. He also stated that property No. 48 was held in trust for the estate of his late father, Khadi Malami Nassarawa.
He further prayed the court to restrain the EFCC, its agents or privies from interfering with his ownership, possession and control of the disputed properties while enforcing the interim order.
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Malami told the court that the assets were properly disclosed in the asset declaration forms he submitted to the Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB), arguing that the EFCC failed to present any prima facie evidence linking them to proceeds of crime.
On property No. 48, he maintained that it was held strictly in trust for the estate of his late father.
“These assets, their value and root of title have been clearly stated and specifically demonstrated in the various asset declaration forms spanning from 2019 to 2023. The declarations constitute prima facie evidence of the legitimacy of their acquisition,” he said.
Enumerating his income sources, Malami said he disclosed to the CCB earnings amounting to N374,630,900 from salaries, estacodes, severance allowances and other entitlements.
He also listed sitting allowances from boards and committees, including the Federal Judicial Service Commission, Federal Capital Territory Judicial Service Commission, Legal Practitioners Privileges Committee and a presidential committee.
According to him, he earned N574,073,000 from disposed assets, recorded a business turnover of N10.017 billion, advanced N2.522 billion in business loans and received N958 million as traditional gifts from personal friends.
He added that N509.88 million was realised from the launch and public presentation of his book, Contemporary Issues on Nigerian Law and Practice: Thorny Terrains in Traversing the Nigerian Justice Sector – My Travails and Triumphs.
Malami argued that the income streams and profits from his businesses sufficiently showed that the properties were lawfully acquired, as reflected in his asset declaration forms.
He accused the EFCC of suppressing material facts to obtain the forfeiture order, alleging that the assets were lawfully acquired and properly declared in compliance with the Fifth Schedule to the 1999 Constitution.
The former AGF further alleged that the interim forfeiture was secured through exaggerated asset values and manipulated valuations intended to mislead the court.
He maintained that no prima facie evidence was presented to justify forfeiture, describing the action as an assault on his right to property, presumption of innocence and right to family life.
The EFCC had earlier secured an interim forfeiture order over 57 properties allegedly linked to Malami.
The commission said the assets, spread across Kebbi, Kano, Kaduna states and the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, were suspected to have been acquired with proceeds of crime and were targeted ahead of final forfeiture proceedings.
Malami, who served as Minister of Justice from November 11, 2015, to May 29, 2023, under former President Muhammadu Buhari, is facing a 16-count charge bordering on money laundering.
He was arraigned alongside his son, Abdulaziz, and one of his wives, Hajia Bashir Asabe, over alleged laundering of about N9 billion in public funds.
Justice Emeka Nwite, while granting the interim forfeiture on January 6, directed the EFCC to publish a notice within 14 days, inviting interested parties to show cause why the properties should not be forfeited to the Federal Government.
