Court freezes Atiku’s son-in-law’s company account over alleged fake NNPC contracts
A Federal High Court in Abuja has ordered the temporary freezing of a Fidelity Bank account belonging to Mars Aviation Limited over allegations of money laundering linked to phoney Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) contracts.
Justice Musa Liman granted the order following an ex parte motion filed by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on July 1, 2025. The motion, marked FHC/ABJ/CS/1299/2025, was moved by EFCC counsel Geraldine Ofulue, who told the court that the account was under investigation for alleged criminal misappropriation and money laundering.
According to court documents, the account — numbered 5250350283 (C03651082) — is held by Mars Aviation Limited. The EFCC sought the court’s approval to authorise its chairman, Ola Olukoyede, or any other designated officer, to direct Fidelity Bank’s managing director to freeze the account pending the conclusion of the investigation.
In an affidavit supporting the motion, EFCC investigator Abdulganiyu Olayide said intelligence reports revealed that NNPCL made several payments to Mars Aviation for purported contracts that violated the Public Procurement Act. He added that preliminary findings showed that large sums were transferred to the company’s Fidelity Bank account in multiple instalments.
Olayide stated that freezing the account was necessary to preserve the funds and prevent further transactions during the investigation.
Reports indicate that Mars Aviation Limited is allegedly owned by Abdullahi Bashir-Haske, founder and Group Managing Director of AA&R Group, who is married to a daughter of former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar.
In August, Bashir-Haske was declared wanted by the EFCC for alleged criminal conspiracy and money laundering.
NNPCL Group Chief Executive Officer, Bashir Bayo Ojulari, is also reportedly under investigation for alleged involvement in the transfer of millions of dollars to AA&R Investment Group’s accounts.
