The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, has marked an Abuja property linked to former Attorney-General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami (SAN), saying the action followed a valid interim forfeiture order granted by a court.

The commission’s spokesman, Dele Oyewale, stated this in an interview with our correspondent on Monday, noting that the action was a normal law enforcement procedure.

Oyewale said the marking of the property was meant to notify members of the public about its status following a forfeiture order.

The statement followed a viral video of altercations between the former minister and operatives of the EFCC, which generated reactions online.

“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 explained 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, which earlier went viral, Malami was seen questioning the operatives over the legality of the action and demanding to see the court order authorising the marking of his house.

The former minister argued that the order presented was not specific to his property and claimed the matter was still pending in court.

He 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 came a few hours after former Vice President Atiku Abubakar led a delegation on a solidarity visit to Malami.

Atiku, who recently returned from Umrah in Saudi Arabia, also called on authorities to release former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai and other detainees.

He said no one should be held for holding a different political ideology from the government.

In a post on his X (formerly Twitter) 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 declared it as clear evidence of alleged state-sponsored intimidation and abuse of power by the President Bola Tinubu administration.

In a statement through his media office on Monday, Atiku alleged that Tinubu was actively dismantling democracy and pushing Nigeria toward full-blown authoritarian rule, with dangerous implications for the entire West African subregion.

Atiku characterised the action by the EFCC as unlawful, driven by vendetta, and politically motivated.

“This is not governance. This is intimidation. This is a regime weaponising state power to silence dissent,” Atiku declared.

He claimed that under Tinubu, Nigeria was undergoing a rapid deterioration of democratic norms, with state institutions increasingly deployed as tools 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 further 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 criminalised, 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 directed the EFCC to publish the interim forfeiture order in a national daily, inviting any individual or organisation with an interest in the assets to appear before it within 14 days to show cause why the properties should not be finally forfeited to the Federal Government.

In February, Malami filed an application challenging the interim forfeiture of the properties linked to him.

The EFCC had also arraigned Malami, his wife and son over allegations bordering on money laundering amounting to N8,713,923,759.49.

On July 2, 2025, Malami announced his defection to the African Democratic Congress.

He was appointed as AGF in 2015 by the late President Muhammadu Buhari and was in the administration until its end in 2023. (The PUNCH)

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