A federal high court judge in Abuja, Obiora Egwuatu, has stepped down from overseeing two high profile cases involving Abubakar Malami, the former attorney-general of the federation and minister of justice. Egwuatu cited personal reasons and the interest of justice as his motivation for withdrawing from the proceedings.
The cases, brought by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), involve a 16 count charge against Malami on allegations related to money laundering. During a court session on Thursday, Egwuatu formally recused himself from the matters.
The EFCC had traced assets worth N212 billion to Malami in December 2025 as part of its investigation into his tenure in office. These assets including hotels, residential buildings, lands, schools, and a printing press are located across Kebbi, Kano, and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
In one of the cases, Malami, his son Abubakar Abdulaziz Malami, and his wife Bashir Asabe were arraigned on charges amounting to N8,713,923,759.49. All defendants pleaded not guilty to the 16 count money laundering charge.
Separately, the EFCC is pursuing the forfeiture of 57 properties suspected to be proceeds of unlawful activities. During the court vacation period, Federal High Court Judge Emeka Nwite oversaw the cases and, on January 6, ordered the interim forfeiture of the 57 properties.
Shortly after granting bail to Malami and the co-defendants on January 7, Nwite warned against attempts to influence the judiciary outside the courtroom. He said:
“Before concluding, I want to admonish and warn counsel and litigants that all judges are not the same. When I am handling any case, please don’t approach me. When you are doing your case, you can get the best lawyers in this country to do your case, but don’t attempt to approach me for any help. I am not the type of judge. I know what God has done for me by giving me this job, and I have vowed to do it to the best of my ability. I have sworn before Almighty God and man that I am going to do my duty without fear or favour. Any attempt to try this will be vehemently resisted.”
Following the court vacation period, John Tsoho, chief judge of the federal high court, reassigned the cases to Egwuatu, who has now recused himself, leaving the matter pending reassignment.
Ademide Adebayo
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