Chief Judge John Tsoho of the Federal High Court is expected to reassign the asset forfeiture case involving former Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, after the judge initially handling the matter stepped aside.
Justice Emeka Nwite, who issued the interim forfeiture order, announced on Tuesday that he had returned the case file to the Chief Judge in line with court procedure.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) had, on 7 January, secured an interim forfeiture order for 57 properties valued at ₦212.8 billion. The assets are located in Abuja, Kano and Birnin Kebbi, Kebbi State, and were allegedly acquired with proceeds of unlawful activities.
In his ruling, Justice Nwite directed that the interim forfeiture order be published in a national newspaper to allow interested persons or organisations 14 days to show cause why the properties should not be permanently forfeited to the Federal Government.
The matter was adjourned for a report of compliance on Tuesday. However, when court resumed, the case did not appear on the cause list, although lawyers who had filed processes opposing the forfeiture, as well as EFCC counsel Jibrin Okutepa, SAN, were present in court.
Mr Okutepa drew the court’s attention to the matter, explaining that it had been adjourned to that date. He urged the court to proceed with the case.
Justice Nwite, however, explained that it was the court’s tradition for matters assigned during the court vacation to be returned to the Chief Judge once normal sittings resume. He advised the EFCC to pursue the reassignment administratively to enable speedy continuation.
The forfeiture proceedings are separate from a ₦8.7 billion money laundering trial involving Malami, his wife, Asabe Bashir, and his son, Abdulaziz Malami. That case was also assigned to Justice Nwite during the vacation and may similarly be reassigned.
Malami was arraigned on 30 December 2025 and granted bail on 7 January, with the trial scheduled to begin on 17 February.
Ahead of Tuesday’s court date, Malami raised concerns over his continued detention by the State Security Service (SSS). Through his media aide, Mohammed Doka, he alleged that he was denied access to his lawyers for several days after being rearrested on 19 January.
The statement claimed that the detention hindered his ability to prepare his defence in both the forfeiture and money laundering cases, describing the situation as a violation of his constitutional right to a fair hearing.
