Justice Obiora Egwuatu has stepped aside from the Federal High Court’s high-profile asset forfeiture case involving former Attorney-General Abubakar Malami, SAN, and two others, citing personal reasons.
The judge announced shortly after the parties’ lawyers appeared that he would recuse himself from the case for personal reasons and in the interest of justice.
On Thursday, Egwuatu directed that the case file be returned to the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court for reassignment, adding:
“The charge CR/700/2025, FRN vs. Abubakar Malami (SAN) and two others, shall be referred back for further directives.”
The recusal follows a legal dispute over 57 properties valued at about ₦213.2 billion, which Justice Emeka Nwite had temporarily forfeited to the Federal Government in January.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) obtained the interim order through an ex parte application, alleging that the assets were proceeds of unlawful activities linked to Malami and his sons.
The contested properties include university buildings, hotels, plazas, filling stations, residential estates, and large tracts of land across Abuja, Kebbi, Kano, and Kaduna states.
The interim order required the EFCC to publish a notice in a national newspaper, giving interested parties 14 days to show cause why the properties should not be permanently forfeited.
Malami has challenged the forfeiture, insisting that his wealth was legally acquired and properly declared. He asked the court to dismiss the proceedings, warning against “conflicting outcomes” and “duplicative litigation,” and arguing that the case violates his rights to property, presumption of innocence, and family life.
He also requested that the court restrain the EFCC from interfering with three specific properties, numbers 9, 18, and 48, stating that one is held in trust for the estate of his late father, Kadi Malami.
The Federal High Court will now reassign the case to another judge, and proceedings are expected to continue under the new assignment.
