Eshioromeh Sebastian in Abuja
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has placed a forfeiture notice on a property belonging to a former Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami (SAN), in Abuja.
The action, which took place on Monday, has ignited a fresh political firestorm, with the opposition accusing the Bola Tinubu administration of using state institutions to settle political scores.
The anti-graft agency’s spokesman, has confirmed the development, explaining that the marking of the property was a standard enforcement procedure based on a valid interim forfeiture order granted by a Federal High Court.
“There is nothing illegal in the matter. The attachment or marking of property that is on a forfeiture order is a normal law enforcement action when the court has granted an interim forfeiture,” Oyewale stated.
He emphasized that the commission did not conduct a raid but merely acted to notify the public about the legal status of the property following the court’s directive. “What I mean by attachment of property is the normal marking of the property to caution members of the public that the property so marked is a forfeited property, whether in interim or final forfeiture,” he added.
However, a viral video circulating online captured a tense confrontation between the former minister and EFCC operatives at the site. In the two-minute clip, Malami is seen questioning the legality of the exercise, demanding to see a court order specific to his property.
The former AGF argued that the order presented by the operatives was not specific to his residence, insisting that the legal matter regarding the properties was still pending in court.
“Where is your court order? The order here is not specific. It didn’t give you a clear directive to come and mark my property,” Malami said in the video. He accused the commission of attempting to embarrass him, warning, “You want to move nationwide to embarrass me? Go ahead, we will meet in court.”
The incident occurred just hours after former Vice President Atiku Abubakar led a delegation on a solidarity visit to Malami.
Reacting to the development on Monday, Atiku condemned the EFCC’s action as evidence of alleged state-sponsored intimidation and an abuse of power by the current administration. In a statement released by his media office, the 2023 presidential candidate accused President Tinubu of dismantling democratic norms and weaponizing state agencies against opposition figures.
“This is not governance. This is intimidation. This is a regime weaponising state power to silence dissent,” Atiku declared. “What we are seeing is the naked abuse of power—security agencies deployed not for national security, but for settling political scores. This is how democracies die.”
Atiku also used the opportunity to call for the release of the former Governor of Kaduna State, Nasir El-Rufai, and other political detainees, asserting that no one should be detained for holding a different political ideology.
The property marking is linked to a broader legal battle between the EFCC and the former justice minister. In January, a Federal High Court in Abuja ordered the interim forfeiture of 57 properties suspected to be proceeds of unlawful activities allegedly linked to Malami and two of his sons.
The court had directed the EFCC to publish the interim forfeiture order, inviting interested parties to show cause why the properties should not be permanently forfeited to the federal government.
In response, Malami filed an application in February challenging the forfeiture. Separately, the EFCC had also arraigned Malami, his wife, and his son over allegations of money laundering involving N8.7 billion.
Malami, who served as AGF under former President Muhammadu Buhari from 2015 to 2023, defected to the African Democratic Congress (ADC) in July 2025.
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