Justice Obiora Egwuatu of the Federal High Court in Abuja has stepped aside from hearing two high-profile cases involving Abubakar Malami, the former attorney-general of the federation and minister of justice.
At Thursday’s court session, Justice Egwuatu said he was withdrawing from the cases, citing personal reasons and the interest of justice.
Soon after lawyers for the parties announced their appearances, the judge informed the court of his decision.
“Ladies and gentlemen, for personal reasons, and for the better interest of justice, I will recuse myself from this case,” he told the court.
He then directed that the case files be returned to the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court for reassignment.
“The instant charge CR/700/2025 filed FRN vs Abubakar Malami (SAN) and two others, shall be filed back to the Chief Judge for further directives,” he stated.
Justice Egwuatu’s withdrawal comes as legal proceedings continue over 57 properties valued at about ₦213.2 billion, which were temporarily seized by the Federal Government last month through an order by Justice Emeka Nwite.
The interim forfeiture order, issued on January 6, followed an ex parte application by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
The EFCC says the properties are suspected to be proceeds of unlawful activities allegedly linked to Malami and his sons.
The assets include university buildings, hotels, shopping plazas, filling stations, residential estates, and large parcels of land across Abuja, Kebbi, Kano, and Kaduna states. The EFCC claims they were reasonably suspected to have been illegally acquired.
Justice Nwite had also instructed the EFCC to publish the forfeiture notice in a national newspaper and give interested parties 14 days to show cause why the properties should not be permanently forfeited to the government.
Malami has challenged the interim forfeiture, insisting that his assets were legally acquired and properly declared to authorities.
He urged the court to throw out the proceedings, warning against what he called “conflicting outcomes” and “duplicative litigation,” and argued that the case violates his rights to property, presumption of innocence, and family life.
Malami also asked the court to stop the EFCC from interfering with three of his properties—numbered 9, 18, and 48 in the EFCC’s application—saying one of them is held in trust for the estate of his late father, Kadi Malami.
Malami is also being prosecuted by the Federal Government, through the Department of State Services, DSS, for alleged terrorism financing.
