Abuja: The Chief Judge of the Federal High Court (FHC), Justice John Tsoho, has re-assigned the money laundering case and the civil suit for the forfeiture of 57 properties filed against Abubakar Malami to Justice Obiora Egwuatu of the Federal High Court.
According to News Agency of Nigeria, hearing dates for the two cases, which will now be decided by Justice Egwuatu, have been scheduled. The civil suit, marked FHC/ABJ/CS/20/2026, is set for February 12, while the criminal case involving alleged money laundering against Malami, the former Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF); his wife Hajia Asabe Bashir, and his son, Abdulaziz, is fixed for February 16.
The former AGF, his wife, and son are expected to be re-arraigned on the 16-count criminal charge, marked FHC/ABJ/CR/700/2025, before the new trial judge, following the re-assignment of the case. An existing case re-assigned to another judge is expected to begin afresh, with issues decided without reference to any previous legal conclusions unless parties agree otherwise.
NAN reports that Malami, Asabe, and Abdulaziz were first arraigned on December 30, 2025, by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) before Justice Emeka Nwite of a sister court, who sat as a vacation judge during the Christmas break. They faced allegations of money laundering offenses amounting to N8,713,923,759.49. All three pleaded not guilty to the charges.
Following their arraignment, Malami and his son were remanded at Kuje Correctional Centre, while Asabe was held at Suleja Correctional Centre. They were later granted bail of N500 million each on January 7, with two sureties required for each.
Justice Nwite, on January 6, ordered the interim forfeiture of 57 properties suspected to be connected to unlawful activities linked to Malami, to the Federal Government. The order was made after an ex-parte motion moved by the EFCC’s lawyer, Ekele Iheanacho, SAN. The commission was directed to publish the order in a national daily, allowing interested parties to show cause within 14 days why the properties should not be permanently forfeited.
The properties, valued in the multi-billion naira range, are located across Abuja, Kebbi, Kano, and Kaduna States. Malami has since contested the EFCC’s civil suit, asking the court to dismiss it. In a motion filed on January 27 by his legal team led by Joseph Daudu, SAN, Malami argued that the anti-corruption agency obtained the interim order through suppression of material facts and misrepresentation.
Malami urged the court to dismiss the suit to avoid ‘conflicting outcomes and duplicative litigation,’ citing an assault on his fundamental right to property ownership, presumption of innocence, and right to live in peace with his family. Additionally, the former AGF and his son, Abdulaziz, are being prosecuted by the Department of State Services (DSS) on a five-count charge of alleged terrorism before Justice Joyce Abdulmalik.