By Muhammed Abubakar, Reporting
EMBATTLED former Attorney General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami, has launched a fierce legal battle against the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), challenging the interim forfeiture of his properties and flatly denying that the assets stem from any criminal activity.
In an affidavit filed before the Federal High Court in Abuja and seen by Stonix News on Monday, Malami insisted that all the properties covered by the January 2026 forfeiture order were legitimately acquired through decades of professional work and business ventures.
The EFCC had secured the interim forfeiture order on suspicion that the assets were linked to illicit funds. But Malami fired back, arguing that the anti-graft agency failed to present even a prima facie case tying the properties to crime, dismissing the allegations as speculative and evidence-free.
“There is no document before the court showing these properties were acquired with proceeds of crime,” he stated in the affidavit.
At the heart of his defence is a claim that the EFCC deliberately inflated the value of the assets to bolster its case. Malami alleged that properties bought for hundreds of millions of naira were falsely presented as being worth billions, creating a misleading picture of unexplained wealth. Independent property valuers, he said, have since produced far lower and more accurate assessments.
The former AGF traced his wealth to over 30 years of legal practice, plus investments in hospitality, agriculture, and education. He also listed bank loans, asset sale proceeds, gifts, and earnings from book launches as legitimate income streams. All earnings and assets, he maintained, were duly declared to the Code of Conduct Bureau.
But Malami did not stop at disputing finances. He accused the EFCC of serious procedural violations, claiming operatives carried out seizures without a final forfeiture order. He further alleged that family members were evicted from some properties and personal documents confiscated in what he called “extrajudicial actions” and a breach of due process.
The dispute comes alongside an ongoing criminal charge against the former minister, making the case a high-stakes test of the EFCC’s asset forfeiture powers and its commitment to legal procedure.
Malami is now asking the court to vacate the interim forfeiture order and return his properties, insisting they remain legitimate and wholly unconnected to any unlawful activity.
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