Judge recuses self from Malami's case

Justice Obiora Egwatu of the Federal High Court has withrawn from the case against former Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami.

Malami and two others are facing trial by the Economic and Financial Crime Commission, EFCC, in a high-profile asset forfeiture suit.

The judge, who disclosed this shortly after the parties’ counsel entered appearances, said he sought release from the case over personal reasons and in the interest of justice.

“For personal reasons, and in the best interest of justice, I will recuse myself from this case,” he said.

Consequently, he directed that the case file be forwarded to the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court for reassignment.

“The charge CR/700/2025, FRN vs. Abubakar Malami (SAN) and two others, shall be referred back for further directives,” Justice Egwatu added.

The recusal comes amid a legal battle over 57 properties valued at approximately ₦213.2bn, which Justice Emeka Nwite had temporarily forfeited to the Federal Government in January.

The EFCC had obtained the interim order through an ex parte application, alleging that the assets were proceeds of unlawful activities linked to Malami and his sons.

The disputed portfolio comprises university buildings, hotels, plazas, filling stations, residential estates, and large tracts of land in Abuja, Kebbi, Kano, and Kaduna states, all of which the EFCC claims were unlawfully acquired.

Justice Emeka Nwite’s interim order directed the commission to publish a notice in a national newspaper, giving any interested parties 14 days to show cause why the properties should not be permanently forfeited.

Malami, however, contested the forfeiture, insisting that his wealth was legally earned and properly declared to the relevant authorities.

He urged the court to dismiss the proceedings, warning against “conflicting outcomes” and “duplicative litigation”, and arguing that the case violates his rights to property, presumption of innocence, and family life.

Also, he requested that the court restrain the EFCC from interfering with three specific properties—numbers 9, 18, and 48 cited in the application—stating that one of the properties is held in trust for the estate of his late father, Kadi Malami.

About The Author

Dele Fashomi

Dele Fashomi, seasoned journalist and communication teacher, is a holder of Master of Arts degree in Communication and Language Arts from the University of Ibadan in 1992/93.

Earlier, he had bagged a Bachelor degree from the same university in 1984, after which he proceeded to the Nigerian Institute of Journalism, Lagos, in 1990, for a postgraduate diploma in Journalism.

He had done many courses in communication, including the EU-BBC Editing Course in 2002.

Mr. Fashomi combines effectively the practice, research and teaching of communication. And to date, he has published two academic works in communication: Issues in Communication Technology and Policy (2010) and Economic and Social Issues in Advertising and PR (2013).

He had his first break in the Nigerian media in Concord Newspapers in 1990 and today, he has over two and half decades experience earned in several newspapers.

He has been part of many start-ups, such as The Republic (1987), The Comet (1999), The Anchor 2001 – 2002; Sun Newspapers (2003); Westerner newsmagazine (2005 – 2010) as Editor; National Life (2011) as Sunday Editor, and Newswatch Newspapers (2012- 2016) as Daily Editor.

Dele Fashomi is now the Publisher/Editor-in-Chief of Newstide247.com newspaper online, which he started in July 2015. He is also into biography writing, with many books in his trail, some of which he wrote alone and one he co- authored with his mentor, Mr Dare Babarinsa, entitled: Olabiyi Durojaiye – DARE TO BE DiFFERENT. He also guided and collaborated with Pa Olatunji Odusanya in writing his autobiography – AGAINST ALL ODDS. There are many other books in the works under his pen.

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