Former Attorney-General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami, has accused the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) of violently ejecting him and his family from their Abuja home.
He described the action as a blatant disregard for due process, given the ongoing litigation between him and the Nigerian government.
Addressing journalists on Tuesday, Malami said EFCC operatives invaded his Maitama residence on Monday and returned the following day with heavily armed reinforcements to complete what he termed a “forceful and unlawful 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.
Malami explained that the property, his family home at No. 2 Koronakh Close, off Amazon Street, Maitama, was linked to an interim forfeiture order granted on January 6, 2026, insisting that the order did not empower the EFCC to remove occupants or assume immediate possession.
“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.
He said he had challenged the forfeiture at the Federal High Court, with the matter adjourned to April 20, 2026. He stressed that the commission’s actions risked undermining judicial authority.
“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. 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 stated.
Malami further argued that only court-appointed bailiffs, not litigants are legally empowered to enforce such orders, describing the EFCC’s conduct as “judicially unprecedented” in Nigeria’s legal system.
He alleged that the decision could have political undertones since the incident occurred shortly after his release from detention and amid a surge of public support and visits.
“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.
The former minister vowed to challenge the eviction in court, insisting that legal remedies would be pursued to address what he called an abuse of power.
Meanwhile, the EFCC spokesperson, Dele Oyewale, pushed back against Malami’s claims when contacted by The ICIR.
He said the operation was lawful and grounded in a valid court order.
“He was not forcefully ejected. His family was not forcefully ejected. What the commission did and is still doing is to enforce Section 5 (B) of the Process of Crime Act, POCA, which allows for possession of property that is forfeited by a court order. So, 57 of such properties were forfeited by a court order.
“It’s an interim forfeiture order. And what the commission is doing is to give effect to that section of the POCA Act,” Oyewale added.
Responding to Malami’s claim that the matter was still before the court and should not have been enforced, the EFCC maintained that the existence of an ongoing case would not invalidate a standing court order.
“As long as that court order is subsisting and there is no contrary order of the court against it, it is still standing. There is a forfeiture order. If there is an order of the court, if that order has not been factored, if that order has not been reversed, it is subsisting. So, I don’t know what he’s talking about,” he added.
Oyewale also questioned whether Malami had secured any counter-order nullifying the forfeiture, arguing that without such legal reversal, the commission was within its rights to act.
The ICIR reported that Malami served as the AGF from 2015 to 2023 under the late President Muhammadu Buhari, where he became one of the most influential figures in the cabinet and a central actor in several major legal and political decisions.
He was also widely regarded as one of Buhari’s most loyal allies, often defending controversial government policies and legal actions. Malami was also central to the administration’s alleged selective anti-corruption drive, with critics accusing him of selective prosecution and political interference.
His tenure courted controversies, including allegations of financial irregularities, handling of recovered looted funds and legal interpretations that shaped the Buhari administration’s posture on human rights and press freedom.
In 2020, he was accused of interfering in the prosecution of some high cases such as the Malabu Oil case, former Senate President Bukola Saraki and former Gombe State Governor, Danjuma Goje.
Also in August 2020, a coalition against corruption called on Buhari to probe Malami for allegations ranging from financial sleaze involving him and his family to influence peddling.
Recall that shortly after leaving office in August 2023, the Independent Corrupt Practices and other related offences Commission (ICPC) probed him over allegations of corruption and abuse of office.
Nanji is an investigative journalist with the ICIR. She has years of experience in reporting and broadcasting human angle stories, gender inequalities, minority stories, and human rights issues. She has documented sexual war crimes in armed conflict, sex for grades in Nigerian Universities, harmful traditional practices and human trafficking.