•Former Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, aides and supporters outside his house shortly after it was marked for seizure by operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) in Abuja yesterday.
Officials of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) yesterday sealed the residences of former Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice Abubakar Malami (SAN) in Abuja.
This is just as the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), announced plans to arraign a former governor of Kaduna State, Nasir El-Rufai, over alleged finance malfeasance today, reports Daily Trust.
Some plain-cloth EFCC personnel were seen marking Malami’s houses located in Maitama, Abuja, yesterday, amidst protests by the former AGF who questioned the validity of the document presented by the officials.
In the ensuing altercation, the EFCC officials insisted that the papers they brought to the houses were a valid court order, despite Malami’s repeated reproach.
“Show me where they said you should come and take over my property…when the matter is pending in court, can you operate extraordinarily. Is it under forfeiture when the order has elapsed? Order granted for 14 days has elapsed and you’re coming to embarrass me. Very early in the morning, you were in my other house and then you’re here. Where is the order that gave you permission to come over to my property and mark them? It is the order I want to see. Show me where it is stated that you can come over to mark my property. Prince (he turns to another EFCC official), where is the order? The order here is not specific, giving you a clear directive to come and mark my property. This matter is pending in court. Where is the order from the court that gave you permission? Are you coming here to embarrass me unnecessarily…? Without an existing court order when a matter is pending in court, you are coming all over my property to embarrass me. Is that the way it is done? Okay, go ahead and mark. We will meet in court,” Malami said.
But the EFCC operative was heard saying, “We have the right to mark property once the property is under forfeiture. This is the order; I gave you the order, sir.”
The building was then marked: “Restrained order, EFCC, Keep off.”
In an interview on Channels TV’s Politics today yesterday, Malami further commented on the closure of his houses, saying he had challenged the court order seeking interim forfeiture of his properties.
He said, “There were personnel that were fully-kitted, fully-armed and were very intimidating and harassing my immediate family members to the effect that they came to serve letters of invitation. So, letters were eventually served not only in respect of the house where they found me but also my other multiple houses and business premises were all invaded today (Monday), being 23rd March, 2026 by personnel that claimed to have come in from the EFCC.
“I found that attitude to be very amazing in the sense that, indeed, to my knowledge, there was an order dated 6 January, 2026 for interim forfeiture of my properties, but the implication of that order was that my person was given an opportunity of 14 days to respond. Now the issue is we have responded. We joined the issues before the court and filed an application for such an order to be set aside.”
The case
Earlier, in December 2025, some EFCC operatives had raided Malami’s offices and private residences in Abuja and Kebbi State. The raids were confirmed in a statement by Malami’s media aide, Mohammed Doka who claimed the operations were targeted at seizing Chapter 9 of Justice Ayo Salami Judicial Commission of Inquiry Report cited by Malami’s office.
The Justice Ayo Salami Judicial Commission of Inquiry was established by the Federal Government in 2021 to investigate allegations of corruption, abuse of office and mismanagement of recovered assets within the EFCC, particularly during the tenure of former chairman of the agency, Ibrahim Magu.
Arraignment
Malami, his son, Abdulaziz, his wife and a staff member of Rahamaniyya Properties Ltd, Asabe Bashir, had been arraigned on a 16-count charge bordering on diversion of property worth billions of naira in Kebbi, Kano and Abuja. He recently regained his freedom after spending about three months in custody and meeting a N200 million bail granted him.
The charges
In the charges, Malami was alleged to have, between July 2022 and June 2025, procured Metropolitan Auto Tech Ltd to conceal the unlawful origin of the sum of N1,014,848,500 in the Sterling Bank PLC account number 0079182387, and used the same company to conceal the unlawful origin of the total sum of N600,013,460.4 in the same bank account.
Malami was further alleged to have, in March 2021, used the deposited sum as collateral for a N500m loan to Rahaan Hotels Ltd from the bank.
The federal government also accused Malami and the others of indirectly disguising the unlawful origin of the sum of N500m paid to Efab Properties Ltd for the purchase of a luxury duplex at Amazon Street Plot 3011 within Cadastral Zone A06 Maitama District, Abuja, sometime in November 2022.
The defendants were further alleged to have, sometime in September 2024, conspired to disguise the unlawful origin of N1, 049,173,926.13 paid through the Union Bank Plc account of Meethaq Hotels Ltd Jabi savings Account No. 0179011105 between November 2022 and September 2024.
The Malamis were alleged to have, between November 2022 and October 2025, taken control of the sum of N1, 362,887,872.96 paid through the savings account of Meethaq Hotels Limited in Union Bank Plc, while alongside Asabe Bashir, Malami allegedly concealed the unlawful origin of the sum of N700m paid for the purchase of the property described as No. 3 Onitsha Crescent Area 11, Garki Abuja (Hamonia Hotels Ltd).
Between September 2020 and December 2020, the defendants were alleged to have conspired to conceal the sum of N850,000,000.00 paid for the purchase of property described as Plot 683 Jabi District Cadastral Zone B04 (Meethaq Hotels Ltd, Jabi), while earlier in February 2018, they allegedly acquired No. 3 Rhine Street Maitama, Abuja (Meethaq Hotels Ltd), for an aggregate sum of N430m.
Furthermore, the defendants were alleged to have, between March and June 2021 concealed the unlawful origin of N325m for the purchase of property No. 1241B Asokoro District Zone (No. 11A Yakubu Gowon Crescent Asokoro), while between November 2015 and January 2016, they allegedly concealed the unlawful origin of N120m for the purchase of property described as No. 27 Efab Estate 5th Avenue, 59th Crescent, Gwarimpa, Abuja.
The federal government alleged that the defendants, sometime in November 2022, concealed the unlawful origin of the fund for the purchase of property known as luxury duplex at Amazon Street, Plot No. 3011 within Cadastral Zone A06 Maitama District, Abuja; acquired landed properties indirectly between December, 2016 and April, 2022; and between June and January 2023, indirectly concealed the unlawful origin of the aggregate sum N537m for payment of properties namely (i) No. 26 Babbi Street, BUA Estate, Abuja, (ii) 4 bedroom Bungalow, Guesse 2 Birnin- Kebbi and (iii) No. 4 Ahmadu Bello Way, Kano, Nassarawa GRA, Kano.
The federal government also alleged that between October 2018 and December 2021, the defendants concealed the sum of N415m for the purchase of properties, namely (i) No. 28 Bagudu Kaltio Crescent, Gwarimpa, Abuja (ii) Plot 13, Ipent 7 Estate Abuja and (iii) A Plaza, Commercial Toilets, Laundry and Warehouse Tanks Adjacent to Brinin Kebbi Market (iv) 100 hectares of land along Brinin Kebbi, Jeba Road (v) Plot 157 Lamido Crescent, Nassarawa Road GRA, Kano.
According to the prosecution, the offences breach sections 15(2) (a) (3) and 18(3) of the Money Laundering Act 2004.
Similarly, Malami and his son were, on February 3, also arraigned by the Department of State Services (DSS) before the Federal High Court in Abuja over alleged terrorism-related offences and unlawful possession of firearms.
In the five-count charge before Justice Joyce Abdulmalik on Tuesday, the DSS alleged that Malami and his son were involved in terrorism financing, preparatory acts linked to terrorism, and violations of the Firearms Act.
The DSS alleged that Malami, who served as Nigeria’s chief law officer between 2015 and 2023, knowingly abetted terrorism financing by allegedly refusing to prosecute suspected terrorism financiers whose case files were forwarded to his office during his tenure, which breached Section 26(2) of the Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.
The defendants were also accused of unlawful possession of firearms and ammunition, allegedly discovered at their residence in Gesse Phase II, Birnin Kebbi Local Government Area of Kebbi State, in December 2025.
‘Using order that lapsed not correct’
An Abuja-based lawyer, Godwin Ijunbor Esq, explained that if an order was not enforced within the specified time, it lapsed and became invalid and any enforcement would be illegal.
He, however, added that the defendant should seek relief from the court.
Similarly, Chibueze Maduka Esq, said if, indeed, the order had expired, it could only be renewed, and not enforced.
“You cannot enforce an expired court order because it ceases to have the force of law,” he said.
Speaking to our correspondent, a political scientist at the University of Abuja, Prof. Sadiq Abubakar, described the invasion of Malami’s residences as politically-motivated.
“I think the action of invading Malami’s houses has three implications,” he said.
“One, you look at him as an individual. It is a direct infringement of fundamental human rights as a politician, as a citizen, and as a political leader. Once upon a time, he was the Minister of Justice of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. That’s all. That’s it. It’s wrong. It’s unacceptable. It’s unconstitutional.”
On the second implication, he argued that the raid reflected intolerance of opposition, alleging that the government of the day “rightly or wrongly” does not accommodate opposition because it is afraid of it and “will go all out to see that the opposition is weakened.”
“This is injurious to our political rights and liberties,” the don stated.
The third implication, according to him, is abuse of power.
“It means the power given to the government has been abused and re-abused quite often. If you take it too far, it’s going to be abused absolutely before the next election, which is unfortunate. I’m not standing for Malami. He is a lawyer. He should be able to clarify his position. But as a political scientist, I know that it’s a flagrant abuse of power by the government.
“I hope and pray that all the agencies of government that are being used and abused should follow constitutional means and measures,” Prof Abubakar said.
ICPC to arraign El-Rufai today over alleged fraud
Meanwhile, the ICPC yesterday announced that it is set to arraign El-Rufai over alleged financial malfeasance. The anti-graft agency revealed that the former FCT minister would be arraigned in different courts situated in his home state, Kaduna, alongside his accomplices over offences bordering on fraud and abuse of office, among others.
El-Rufai’s arraignment was coming more than 30 days after he had been held in custody without any charge or formal arraignment – a development that drew sustained pressure from the media.
On Monday, February 16, the former governor honoured the invitation extended to him by the EFCC, where he was grilled by detectives of the commission.
The ADC chieftain later spent two nights in the custody of the EFCC over alleged financial impropriety when he held sway in the state, but he was not arraigned by the commission.
This was after a failed attempt by security operatives to arrest him at the Abuja airport when he returned to the country from Egypt, where he had lived for months.
On Wednesday, February 18, reports filtered in that operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS) took El-Rufai into custody.
But on Thursday, February 19, the ICPC, in a terse statement by its spokesman, Odey, confirmed that the former governor was taken into its custody, and since then, he had remained incarcerated.
Commenting on the proposed arraignment yesterday, John Odey, the spokesman of the ICPC, explained that the agency filed its charges against El-Rufai last Wednesday, March 18.
According to him, charges against El-Rufai at the Federal High Court in Kaduna range from conversion and possession of public property to money laundering.
He said, “The ICPC is set to arraign the former Governor of Kaduna State, Malam Nasir El-Rufa’i (M) and one Joel Adoga (M) at the Federal High Court of Nigeria in the Kaduna Judicial Division on Tuesday, the 24th March 2026.
“The suit with number FHC/KD/73/2026 has charges ranging from conversion of and possession of public property, to money laundering.”
Odey also explained that the former Kaduna governor would be arraigned in the state high court in Kaduna over alleged offences bordering on abuse of office, fraud, intent to commit fraud, conferring undue advantage, among others
The ICPC spokesman said, “Similarly, another charge, number KDH/KAD/IICPC/01/26, against Malam Nasir El-Rufa’i and one Amadu Sule (LEDA), has also been filed before a Kaduna State High Court in the Kaduna Judicial Division.
“The charges in the State High Court case range from abuse of office, fraud, and intent to commit fraud to conferring undue advantage, among others. Both charges were filed by the ICPC on the 18th of March, 2026.”
He, however, said the date of arraignment in the state high court would be communicated at the appropriate time as determined by the court.
Odey added, “The ICPC wishes to inform the public that Malam Nasir El-Rufa’i has been duly served. The ICPC restates its commitment to adhering fully to due process and the rule of law at all times.”
