Mars Aviation Limited, a firm associated with businessman Bashir Haske, has denied any role in an alleged Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) fraud.
A Federal High Court in Abuja, presided over by a judge, Musa Liman, had earlier granted an interim order freezing the company’s Fidelity Bank account following an application by the EFCC.
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The order stemmed from an ex parte motion filed on 1 July by EFCC counsel Geraldine Ofulue, with the suit number: FHC/ABJ/CS/1299/2025, in which the agency claimed the account was tied to suspected money laundering and criminal misappropriation.
Intelligence reports
The Nation Newspaper reported that the EFCC told the court that intelligence reports linked payments from NNPCL to the company, allegedly for contracts that violated public procurement procedures.
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The agency said substantial sums were deposited in the account across several transactions, prompting it to seek the interim freezing order to preserve the funds pending investigation.
As of the time of filing this report, the EFCC had not released an official statement on the matter.
Rebuttal
In a statement dated 7 October made available to PREMIUM TIMES on Friday, Mars Aviation said the order was obtained without giving it a chance to respond to the allegations.
“The application leading to the order was made without notice, and we were not allowed to present our position before the court,” the firm stated. “We have since instructed our legal team to take all lawful steps to challenge the order and ensure the facts are fully presented before the court.”
The company insisted that all payments received were for legitimate business transactions in line with Nigerian laws and international aviation standards.
“Mars Aviation Limited has always operated transparently and in compliance with applicable regulations,” it added, reaffirming its commitment to good corporate governance and due process.
While acknowledging the EFCC’s role in combating financial crimes, the company urged the agency to exercise its powers objectively and free of political influence.
“We believe that once the full facts are before the court, Mars Aviation Limited and its management will be vindicated,” the statement concluded.
Background
This newspaper reported that the anti-graft agency had started an investigation into alleged abuse of office and misappropriation of funds involving several former NNPC executives, including the immediate past Group Chief Executive Officer, Mele Kyari, and his predecessor, Abubakar Yar’Adua.
In a letter dated 28 April and addressed to the present NNPCL management, the commission is specifically probing the disbursement of over $2.9 billion approved for the rehabilitation of Nigeria’s three state-owned refineries.
The letter, with reference number CR:3000/EFCC/ABJ/HQ/SDC.2/NNPC/VOL.1/698, requested certified salary and allowance records of 14 current and former senior executives, including Messrs Kyari, Yar’Adua, and former refinery managing directors Ibrahim Onoja (PHRC), Mustafa Sugungun (KRPC), and Efifia Chu (WRPC).
The funds under investigation include $1.56 billion allocated to the Port Harcourt refinery, $740.6 million for Kaduna, and $656.9 million for Warri, which were released under a controversial rehabilitation scheme.
Several of the listed officials had either been sacked or retired, following a shake-up initiated by President Bola Tinubu, who also dissolved the NNPC board and appointed a new management team led by Bayo Ojulari as GCEO and Ahmadu Kida as board chair.
Despite the massive financial injection into the refineries, public records and site visits indicate that the facilities have largely failed to resume meaningful operations.
The Warri refinery, which was reopened in December 2024, shut down in January due to safety issues, while the Port Harcourt refinery has operated below 42 per cent of its installed capacity.
