Abubakar Malami, SAN, former Attorney-General of the Federation, got a new development in his ongoing ₦213 billion asset forfeiture case on Thursday as Justice Obiora Egwatu stepped down from presiding over the matter.
The Federal High Court judge cited personal reasons for his recusal, telling the court shortly after counsel had announced their appearances:
“Ladies and gentlemen, for personal reasons, and in the interest of justice, I will recuse myself from this case.”
Justice Egwatu directed that the case file be forwarded 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 returned to the Chief Judge for further directives,” he added.
The recusal comes amid a contentious legal battle over 57 properties—including hotels, plazas, residential estates, university buildings, filling stations, and large tracts of land across Abuja, Kebbi, Kano, and Kaduna valued at about ₦213.2 billion.
The EFCC has alleged that these assets were illicitly acquired.
Last month, Justice Emeka Nwite ordered the properties to be temporarily forfeited to the Federal Government and directed the EFCC to publish notices in a national newspaper, inviting interested parties to show cause within 14 days why the properties should not be permanently forfeited.
Malami has challenged the forfeiture, insisting that his wealth was lawfully acquired and fully declared.
He urged the court to dismiss the proceedings, warning against what he described as “conflicting outcomes” and “duplicative litigation,” while maintaining that the action infringed on his rights to property, presumption of innocence, and family life.
He further asked the court to restrain the EFCC from interfering with three of the properties cited in its application, noting that one of them is held in trust for the estate of his late father, Kadi Malami.