A Federal High Court in Abuja has ordered the final forfeiture of 48 properties linked to former Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami (SAN), to the Federal Government, ruling that the assets were acquired with proceeds of unlawful activities.

Justice Joyce Abdulmalik, who delivered the judgment on Wednesday, held that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) established the reasonable suspicion required under the law to justify the permanent forfeiture of the assets.

The court ruled that Malami, members of his family and companies associated with the properties failed to rebut the EFCC's allegations that the assets were acquired with proceeds of unlawful activities.

Before delivering the substantive judgment, Justice Abdulmalik dismissed several applications, motions on notice and applications to show cause filed by the respondents, describing them as lacking merit.

She held that the central issue before the court was not the ownership of the properties but whether the funds used to acquire them were legitimate.

"The issue before the court is not who owns the property, but how legitimate the funds used to acquire the properties are," the judge said.

Justice Abdulmalik further ruled that the respondents failed to dislodge the reasonable suspicion raised by the EFCC that the assets were proceeds of unlawful activities.

Relying on Section 17 of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offences Act, the judge granted the anti-graft agency's application for the final forfeiture of the 48 properties to the Federal Government.

The court, however, discharged the interim forfeiture order earlier granted in respect of some of the properties after finding that they did not meet the requirements for permanent forfeiture.

The EFCC had, in January, instituted civil forfeiture proceedings seeking the permanent forfeiture of 57 properties valued at about ₦212.8 billion, alleging that they were proceeds of unlawful activities linked to the former Attorney General.

On January 16, vacation judge Justice Emeka Nwite granted an interim forfeiture order over the assets and directed the EFCC to publish the order in a national newspaper to enable any interested persons to appear before the court and show cause why the properties should not be permanently forfeited to the Federal Government.

The affected properties are located across the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, as well as Kano, Kebbi and Kaduna states.

Following the publication of the interim forfeiture order, Malami, his wife, Nana Hadiza Malami, his son, Abdulaziz Abubakar Malami, and several companies linked to the assets challenged the order before the court.

The respondents argued that the EFCC relied on speculation rather than credible evidence, insisting that the commission neither proved that the properties were proceeds of crime nor identified any specific criminal offence from which they were allegedly derived.

They maintained that the commission failed to establish the legal basis for the permanent forfeiture of the assets and urged the court to set aside the interim order.

After the court resumed from its annual vacation, the matter was reassigned to Justice Abdulmalik for hearing and determination.

During the proceedings, counsel for the EFCC argued that investigations conducted by the commission showed that the properties were acquired with proceeds of unlawful activities and held in the names of individuals and companies acting as fronts for Malami.

The anti-graft agency further submitted that under the law governing civil forfeiture proceedings, it was only required to establish reasonable suspicion regarding the source of the assets and not prove the allegations beyond a reasonable doubt.

Following the adoption of final written addresses by both parties in May, the court reserved judgment.

The judgment, initially scheduled for July 6, was deferred twice before Justice Abdulmalik finally delivered the ruling on Wednesday.

In a statement issued after the judgment, EFCC spokesperson Dele Oyewale listed the forfeited assets to include Rayhaan University in Kebbi State, comprising its permanent, temporary and third campuses, the Vice-Chancellor's residence and Rayhaan Radio located along Sani Abacha Bypass, Birnin Kebbi.

Other assets forfeited include Rayhaan Agro Allied Factory, with its factory buildings, machinery, mosque, staff quarters and Bustan Building; Azbir Arena, comprising Azbir Hotel, a printing press, gallery, gardens, clothing outlet, pharmacy and supermarket; Al-Afiya Energy tanker garage; Rayhaan Security House; an uncompleted two-storey commercial plaza in Birnin Kebbi; Amasdul Oil and Gas filling station; Zeennoor Hotel in Kano with its 131 rooms; Zeennoor Mosque; and the old Zeennoor Hotel building.

The court also ordered the forfeiture of several luxury residential buildings, hotels, commercial plazas, warehouses, petroleum stations, estates and farmlands spread across Abuja, Kano and Kebbi states.

According to the EFCC, Wednesday's judgment effectively transfers ownership of the 48 properties to the Federal Government, describing the ruling as a major milestone in its efforts to recover assets suspected to have been acquired through illicit means.

Malami is also facing a separate criminal trial alongside his wife and son over an alleged ₦8.7 billion fraud. The case is still pending before the court.