EFCC Freezes Atiku In-Law’s Firm Account Amid Alleged Tinubu NNPCL Money Trail Scandal
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A Federal High Court in Abuja has ordered the temporary freezing of a Fidelity Bank account belonging to Mars Aviation Limited, a company allegedly linked to Abdullahi Bashir-Haske, son-in-law to former Vice President Atiku Abubakar.
The order, granted by Justice Musa Liman, followed an ex parte motion filed by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), which alleged that the account is at the center of a multi-billion-naira money laundering probe tied to the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL).
According to court documents, the EFCC is investigating payments purportedly made by NNPCL under the current administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, raising suspicions of deepening political entanglements between the ruling circle and opposition-linked business interests.
The motion, marked FHC/ABJ/CS/1299/2025, was filed on July 1 and moved by Geraldine Ofulue, counsel for the EFCC. The anti-graft agency sought and obtained an order empowering its chairman, Ola Olukoyede, to instruct Fidelity Bank to freeze Mars Aviation’s account (No. 5250350283, C03651082) pending the conclusion of the investigation.
In an affidavit submitted to the court, Abdulganiyu Olayide, an EFCC investigator, stated that intelligence reports linked NNPCL payments to Mars Aviation for “phantom contracts” allegedly approved in violation of the Public Procurement Act. He further alleged that the transfers were made “in multiple tranches,” suggesting attempts to conceal the movement of funds.
While the EFCC did not name political figures in the filing, sources familiar with the case suggest the transactions may expose financial intersections between key figures in both Tinubu’s and Atiku’s camps, fueling speculation of a bipartisan corruption network involving state oil funds.
The development comes barely two months after Bashir-Haske who also heads AA&R Group was declared wanted by the EFCC over separate allegations of money laundering and criminal conspiracy.
Analysts say the case could test the Tinubu administration’s anti-corruption credentials, as critics accuse the EFCC of selective prosecution and shielding politically connected individuals.
