Operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on Tuesday moved to take over the Maitama residence of the former Attorney General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami, in Abuja.
EFCC agents, reportedly led by Folarin Dare, arrived in around five buses and, clothed in red and black jackets and highly armed, closed the road leading to Malami’s home.
Attempts to enter the property, located at No. 2 Koranakh Close, off Amazon Street in Maitama, Abuja, were fruitless since the operatives had cordoned off the area.
Chronicle NG reports that the EFCC has marked an Abuja property linked to the former Attorney General of the Federation, saying the action followed a valid interim forfeiture order granted by a court.
Dele Oyewale, the commission’s spokesman, acknowledged this in an interview on Monday, emphasizing that the action was a standard law enforcement process.
Oyewale stated that the property was marked to notify the public of its status following a confiscation order.
The announcement came after a viral video of altercations between the former minister and EFCC officers sparked outrage on social media.
“There is nothing illegal in the matter. The attachment or marking of property that is on a forfeiture order is a normal law enforcement action when the court has granted an interim forfeiture,” Oyewale said.
He stated that once a forfeiture order is issued, the agency has the right to attach or mark the property to caution the public.
“What I mean by ‘attachment of property’ is the normal marking of the property to caution members of the public that the property so marked is a forfeited property, whether in interim or final forfeiture.
“So when there is a forfeiture order by the court, the enforcement agency can go ahead and make markings,” he added.
The EFCC spokesman also dismissed claims that operatives raided the property, insisting that the commission only carried out enforcement of a court order.
“The commission did not go there to raid anywhere. We are not involved in any such act. So there is nothing illegal about what we have done,” Oyewale said.
In a two-minute video obtained by our correspondent, Malami was seen questioning the operatives over the legality of the action and demanding to see the court order authorizing the marking of his house.
Malami argued that the order presented was not specific to his property and claimed the matter was still pending in court.
The former minister accused the commission of attempting to embarrass him, saying, “Where is your court order?
The order here is not specific. It didn’t give you a clear directive to come and mark my property. You want to move nationwide to embarrass me? Go ahead, we will meet in court.”
An EFCC operative in the video maintained that once a property is under forfeiture, the commission has the right to mark it.
The development occurred just hours after former Vice President Atiku Abubakar led a delegation on a solidarity visit to Malami.
Atiku, who had recently returned from Umrah in Saudi Arabia, also urged authorities to release former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai and other captives.
He stated that no one should be held accountable for having a different political viewpoint than the government.
In a post on his X handle, he said, “Following my return to the country on Saturday night from Umrah (lesser Hajj), I led a delegation on a solidarity visit to the former minister of justice and attorney general of the federation, Abubakar Malami, SAN.
“I wish to serve notice to the authorities detaining former governor of Kaduna State, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai, @elrufai, and all other political detainees to release them henceforth.
“No one should be detained simply because they do not share the same ideology or political platform with the government of the day. -AA”
Speaking on the clampdown on Malami’s properties, Atiku stated that it was clear proof of alleged state-sponsored intimidation and abuse of power by the President Bola Tinubu administration.
In a statement issued through his media office on Monday, Atiku accused Tinubu of aggressively undermining democracy and pushing Nigeria into full-fledged authoritarian government, with severe consequences for the whole West African subregion.
Atiku described the EFCC’s actions as illegal, vendetta-driven, and politically motivated.
“This is not governance. This is intimidation. This is a regime weaponizing state power to silence dissent,” Atiku declared.
He stated that under Tinubu, Nigeria’s democratic principles were rapidly deteriorating, with state institutions increasingly being used for political persecution.
“What we are seeing is the naked abuse of power—security agencies deployed not for national security, but for settling political scores. This is how democracies die.
“Let it be said clearly: this government is terrified of competition. That is why it is resorting to brute force—harassing, intimidating, and attempting to break opposition leaders into submission,” he stated.
He also alleged that the sustained targeting of figures like El-Rufai and Malami is part of a broader strategy to coerce them into abandoning opposition politics and falling in line with the ruling APC.
“This is political extortion at the highest level—join us or be destroyed. That is the message being sent,” he said.
The statement continued, “When opposition is criminalized and dissent is punished, elections become a mere formality. If Tinubu wants to run unopposed, then let INEC stop wasting public funds on a sham election.
“We have seen this script before. It ended in national disgrace. What is happening now is a dangerous replay—one that Nigerians must resist.
“Governors and political leaders are being railroaded into the APC under threat of persecution. This is not politics—it is state capture.” In January, a Federal High Court in Abuja ordered the interim forfeiture of 57 properties suspected to be proceeds of unlawful activities allegedly linked to Malami and two of his sons, Abdulaziz Malami and Abiru Rahman Malami.
The court also ordered the EFCC to publish the interim forfeiture order in a national newspaper, requesting any individual or organization having an interest in the assets to appear before it within 14 days to explain why the properties should not be permanently forfeited to the federal government.
Malami filed an application in February to challenge the interim confiscation of his properties.
The EFCC had also charged Malami, his wife, and his son with money laundering worth N8,713,923,759.49.
Malami announced his defection to the African Democratic Congress on July 2, 2025.
He was appointed AGF by the late former president Muhammadu Buhari in 2015 and served till the administration’s end in 2023.
