A Federal High Court in Abuja has ordered the temporary freezing of a Fidelity Bank account belonging to Mars Aviation Limited amid allegations of money laundering linked to the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), according to Very Nigerian.
The directive was issued by Justice Musa Liman following an ex parte application by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). The case, referenced as FHC/ABJ/CS/1299/2025, was filed on July 1 and presented to the court by EFCC lawyer Geraldine Ofulue.
Ofulue told the court that the account is under investigation for suspected criminal misappropriation of funds and money laundering, urging the judiciary to preserve the funds while the EFCC’s probe continues.
Justice Liman ruled that the application was well-founded and granted the freeze order, giving the EFCC authority to restrict access to the account. While the judgment was delivered on September 22, it only recently became public.
The court also authorized EFCC Chairman Ola Olukoyede or any designated officer to instruct the Managing Director of Fidelity Bank to immediately implement the freeze. Court records identify the account in question as number 5250350283 (C03651082), registered to Mars Aviation Limited.
In an affidavit supporting the application, EFCC investigator Abdulganiyu Olayide of the commission’s Special Duties Committee explained that his team was investigating intelligence reports suggesting irregular financial transactions between NNPCL and Mars Aviation.
Olayide said the investigation began after information emerged that NNPCL made multiple payments to Mars Aviation for purported contracts that were allegedly fictitious and awarded in breach of the Public Procurement Act. Preliminary findings showed substantial sums had been deposited into the company’s Fidelity Bank account in several instalments.
The investigator emphasized that freezing the account was crucial to prevent the funds from being dissipated and to maintain the integrity of the investigation. “That I make this affidavit in good faith, believing the contents to be true and correct in accordance with the Oaths Act,” Olayide stated.
Reports suggest that Mars Aviation Limited is owned by Abdullahi Bashir-Haske, founder and Group Managing Director of AA&R, who is reportedly married to a daughter of former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar. In August, Bashir-Haske was placed on the EFCC’s wanted list over allegations of criminal conspiracy and money laundering.
As of this report, neither Mars Aviation Limited nor Fidelity Bank has issued an official statement regarding the court order or the allegations.
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