The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on Tuesday has forcefully taken possession of the Abuja residence of the former Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF), Abubakar Malami, and evicted his family, despite ongoing court proceedings over the property.
Malami disclosed this while addressing journalists at a press conference, stating that EFCC officials stormed the premises on Monday and returned on Tuesday with armed personnel to complete 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 identified the property as his family home located at No. 2, Koronakh Close, off Amazon Street, Maitama, Abuja.
He explained that the action followed an interim forfeiture order granted on January 6, 2026, but insisted that the order did not authorise eviction or immediate takeover 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 is being sold, or perhaps evicting the occupants,” he said.
Malami noted that he had already challenged the forfeiture order before the Federal High Court, with the case adjourned till April 20, 2026.
According to him, with both parties already before the court, the EFCC ought to have exercised restraint rather than taking unilateral enforcement steps.
“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 faulted 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.
Malami 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.
He further alleged that the EFCC neither obtained a specific eviction order nor involved court officials before carrying out the action.
The former minister also hinted at possible political undertones, noting that the incident occurred shortly after his release from detention and during a period of 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.
However, he declined to directly describe the action as a vendetta, citing the pending nature of the case.
Malami said he would pursue legal remedies to challenge the EFCC’s action.
“For me, the steps are legal, legitimate and judicial, and we will certainly embark on the judicial process to do the needful,” he added.
Efforts to reach his lawyer on the asset forfeiture case, J.B Daudu, to confirm the sealing of the properties and next legal steps were unsuccessful as of the time of filing this report, as he did not respond to repeated calls from our correspondent.
The PUNCH had reported that earlier 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, heavily armed and dressed in their red and black jackets, as they barricaded the road leading to Malami’s residence.
