A Federal High Court judge has withdrawn from handling the N212.8 billion assets forfeiture case involving former Attorney-General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami (SAN), prompting the Chief Judge to reassign the matter to another judge. The development was confirmed on Wednesday after the presiding judge announced his decision to step aside from the high-profile case.

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Although the judge did not publicly disclose detailed reasons for his withdrawal, the move is consistent with judicial practice where issues bordering on conflict of interest, administrative concerns, or the need to preserve impartiality arise. Following the decision, the court ordered that the case file be returned to the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court for reassignment.

The forfeiture suit, instituted by anti-corruption authorities, seeks the recovery of assets allegedly linked to unlawful activities during Malami’s tenure as Attorney-General of the Federation. With the reassignment of the case, legal observers expect fresh proceedings to begin once a new judge is appointed, potentially affecting the timeline of one of Nigeria’s most closely watched corruption cases.