Former Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami (SAN), has asked a Federal High Court in Abuja to vacate its January 6, 2026, order granting the interim forfeiture of some of his properties.

Malami made the request in a motion filed through his counsel, Joseph Daudu (SAN), challenging the ex parte order issued by Justice Emeka Nwite following an application by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

The interim forfeiture order affected 57 properties. However, the ex-AGF is specifically seeking the release of three properties listed as Nos. 9, 18 and 48 in the schedule attached to the court’s order.

In the motion, Malami is asking the court to grant two reliefs, including an order setting aside the interim forfeiture as it relates to the three properties, on the grounds that they were duly declared in his asset declaration forms throughout his tenure as a public officer.

He also prayed for an order restraining the EFCC from interfering with his ownership, possession or control of the properties pending the determination of the suit.

The properties include Plot 157, Lamido Crescent, Nasarawa GRA, Kano, purchased on July 31, 2019; a four-bedroom duplex with boys’ quarters at No. 12, Yalinga Street, off Adetokunbo Ademola Crescent, Wuse II, Abuja, acquired in October 2018 for N150 million; and the ADC Kadi Malami Foundation Building, purchased for N56 million. The latter is listed as property No. 48 and, according to Malami, is held in trust for the estate of his late father, Kadi Malami Nassarawa.

The erstwhile minister argued that the properties were not linked to any unlawful activity or specific offence by any prima facie evidence.

He stated that properties listed as Nos. 9 and 18 were declared in his asset declaration forms submitted to the Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB) in 2019 and 2023, respectively.

“These assets, their value and their 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 and ownership,” he said.

The former AGF further disclosed that he fully declared his earnings to the CCB, including N374,630,900 in income from salaries, estacodes, severance allowances, and related entitlements; sitting allowances from service on several statutory boards and committees; N574,073,000 from the disposal of assets; and a business turnover of N10.017 billion.

He also declared N2.522 billion as loans advanced to businesses, N958 million received as traditional gifts from personal friends, and N509.88 million realised from the launch and public presentation of his book titled “Contemporary Issues on Nigerian Law and Practice, Thorny Terrains in Traversing the Nigerian Justice Sector: My Travails and Triumphs.”

According to Malami, these income streams sufficiently demonstrate that the properties sought to be forfeited were lawfully acquired.

He accused the EFCC of obtaining the interim forfeiture order through the suppression of material facts, misrepresentation, and an exaggerated valuation of the assets, which he said misled the court and improperly influenced its discretion.