The trial of Abubakar Malami, former Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, over alleged N8.7 billion money laundering offences suffered a setback on Thursday following the withdrawal of Justice Obiora Egwuatu from the case.
Justice Egwuatu recused himself from the two suits filed by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) against Malami, citing personal reasons and the interest of justice.
The judge, who was recently reassigned the matters by the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court, Justice John Tsoho, announced his decision shortly after the civil suit seeking the forfeiture of 57 properties allegedly linked to Malami was called.
“Gentlemen, for personal reasons and in the interest of justice, I will recuse myself from this case and the other sister case,” Justice Egwuatu said in a brief ruling.
He directed that the case files be returned to the Chief Judge for reassignment.
The cases include the EFCC’s civil action seeking permanent forfeiture of 57 properties allegedly traced to Malami, as well as a 16-count criminal charge bordering on money laundering to the tune of N8,713,923,759.49 filed against him, his wife, Asabe Bashir, and their son, Abdulaziz Malami.
Earlier, EFCC counsel, Ekele Iheanacho, SAN, informed the court that the matter was scheduled for mention but noted that Malami’s lawyer, Joseph Daudu, SAN, had written to seek an adjournment until Feb. 16, citing his engagement at the Court of Appeal.
Read also: Nasarawa’s Sule target economic boost with N30bn cassava city
Although Daudu was absent in court, counsel representing other interested parties in some of the properties subject to interim forfeiture were present.
The suits were previously handled by Justice Emeka Nwite, who, sitting as a vacation judge on Jan. 6, ordered the interim forfeiture of the 57 properties to the Federal Government following an ex parte application by the EFCC.
The properties, described as multi-billion-naira assets, are located in Abuja, Kebbi, Kano, and Kaduna States.
Justice Nwite also directed the anti-graft agency to publish the interim forfeiture order in a national daily to enable interested parties to show cause within 14 days why the properties should not be permanently forfeited to the Federal Government.
Malami has since challenged the interim forfeiture order, alleging suppression of material facts and misrepresentation by the EFCC. In a motion filed on Jan. 27 by his legal team led by Daudu, he urged the court to dismiss the suit to avoid what he described as duplicative litigation and conflicting outcomes.
He further argued that the proceedings violated his fundamental rights to own property, enjoy the presumption of innocence, and live peacefully with his family. Other applicants have also asked the court to set aside the interim forfeiture order.
In the related criminal case, Malami, his wife, and son were arraigned on Dec. 30, 2025, on a 16-count charge of alleged money laundering. They pleaded not guilty to the charges.
The trio were initially remanded in correctional facilities before being granted bail of N500 million each on Jan. 7, with two sureties each in like sum.
However, Malami and his son were subsequently re-arrested by the Department of State Services (DSS) over alleged terrorism-related offences. The two were arraigned on Feb. 3 before Justice Joyce Abdulmalik on a five-count terrorism charge and are currently in DSS custody.
With Justice Egwuatu’s withdrawal, both the civil forfeiture suit and the criminal trial are now expected to be reassigned by the Chief Judge, further delaying proceedings in the high-profile case.
