Justice Obiora Egwuatu of the Federal High Court in Abuja has stepped down from presiding over two cases involving Abubakar Malami, former attorney-general of the federation and minister of justice.
At Thursday’s court sitting, Justice Egwuatu announced his decision to withdraw from the matters, citing personal reasons and the interest of justice.
Shortly after counsel for the parties announced their appearances, the judge informed the court of his decision to step aside.
“Ladies and gentlemen, for personal reasons, and for the better interest of justice, I will recuse myself from this case,” he said.
Justice Egwuatu subsequently ordered that the case file be returned to the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court for reassignment.
“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,” he stated.
His withdrawal comes amid ongoing legal proceedings over 57 properties valued at approximately ₦213.2 billion, which were temporarily forfeited to the Federal Government by Justice Emeka Nwite last month.
The interim forfeiture order, issued on January 6, followed an ex parte application by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
The anti-graft agency maintains that the assets are suspected proceeds of unlawful activities allegedly linked to Malami and his sons.
The properties include university buildings, hotels, shopping plazas, filling stations, residential estates, and extensive parcels of land located in Abuja, Kebbi, Kano, and Kaduna states. The EFCC claims the assets were reasonably suspected to have been unlawfully acquired.
Justice Nwite had also directed the EFCC to publish the forfeiture notice in a national newspaper and invite interested parties to show cause within 14 days why the assets should not be permanently forfeited to the government.
Malami, however, has challenged the interim forfeiture, asserting that his assets were lawfully acquired and duly declared to relevant authorities.
The former AGF urged the court to dismiss the proceedings, cautioning against what he described as “conflicting outcomes” and “duplicative litigation.” He further argued that the action infringes on his rights to property, presumption of innocence, and family life.
Additionally, Malami asked the court to restrain the EFCC from interfering with his ownership and control of three properties—numbered 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.
More to come…