Former Attorney-General of the Federation Abubakar Malami (SAN) claimed on Tuesday that agents of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission forcibly removed him and his family from their Abuja home, despite ongoing court procedures over the property.
Malami revealed this during a press conference, telling journalists that EFCC officials raided the facilities on Monday and returned on Tuesday with armed soldiers to finalize the takeover.
“Yesterday, without further recourse to the court, without seeking an order to seal my properties, without seeking an order to evict my family members and me from the property, without seeking a court order for the appointment of a receiver manager, the EFCC came to effect a forceful eviction.
“They were unable to conclude the process yesterday and reinforced this morning with a lot of personnel that are armed and indeed forcefully took over possession of my family residence,” he said.
The former AGF described the house as his family home, located at No. 2 Koronakh Close, off Amazon Street in Maitama, Abuja.
He stated that the action followed an interim forfeiture order issued on January 6, 2026, but that the decree did not authorize eviction or immediate control of the property.
“The most interesting part of the order was that there was no clear directive or instruction… that the premises would be taken over forthwith or perhaps were being sold or perhaps evicting the occupants,” he said.
Malami stated that he has already contested the forfeiture ruling at the Federal High Court, with the case adjourned to April 20, 2026.
According to him, with both parties already in court, the EFCC should have shown prudence rather than launching unilateral enforcement action.
“It is only natural, logical, and judicial that no party is expected to overreach by taking unilateral steps that would place a court in a situation of purposelessness,” he stated.
He berated the commission for allegedly bypassing due process, stressing that enforcement of court orders was the responsibility of judicial authorities, not litigants.
“Execution of court orders and processes is an exclusive function of court bailiffs and sheriffs… and is not in any way the prerogative of a party to the litigation,” he said.
He described the eviction and takeover as unlawful and outside established legal procedure.
“What happened by way of forceful eviction of my family members and forceful takeover of my properties is legally and judicially unprecedented in the Nigerian legal system,” he added.
The former minister alleged that the EFCC did not obtain an eviction order or involve court officials before carrying out the action.
The incident occurred shortly after his release from detention and coincided with increased political visits and support.
“The fact that these things happen at a time when I was receiving tremendous goodwill messages… can certainly be a basis for people to insinuate perhaps political persecution,” he said.
He declined to specifically identify the conduct as a vendetta, considering the ongoing nature of the case.
Malami stated that he would seek legal recourse to dispute the EFCC’s move.
“For me, the steps are legal, legitimate, and judicial, and we will certainly embark on the judicial process to do the needful,” according to him.
Attempts to contact his lawyer on the asset forfeiture case, J.B. Daudu, to confirm the sealing of the properties and the next legal processes were fruitless as of the time of posting this story, since he did not return repeated calls from our correspondent.
Chronicle NG reports that on Tuesday, the anti-corruption agency moved to take over the Maitama residence of the former AGF.
The operatives, reportedly led by Folarin Dare, arrived in about five buses, armed to the teeth and dressed in their red and black jackets, as they barricaded the road leading to Malami’s residence.
