The Federal High Court in Abuja has ordered the freezing of a Fidelity Bank account owned by Mars Aviation Limited over alleged money laundering and suspicious payments from the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL).
Justice Musa Liman gave the order after hearing an ex parte motion filed by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). The case, marked FHC/ABJ/CS/1299/2025, was presented on July 1 by EFCC counsel Geraldine Ofulue.
The EFCC said it began investigating the account after receiving intelligence that NNPCL made questionable payments to Mars Aviation. The agency claimed the contracts tied to the payments breached the Public Procurement Act. Ofulue urged the court to block all transactions to stop the movement of funds during the probe.
After reviewing the application, Justice Liman agreed with the request. On September 22, he directed EFCC Chairman Ola Olukoyede or a designated officer to order Fidelity Bank to suspend all account activities.
EFCC investigator Abdulganiyu Olayide said his team traced several large transfers from NNPCL into Mars Aviation’s account. According to him, the transactions raised strong suspicions of misappropriation. “Freezing the account will preserve the funds and prevent further transfers,” he said.
Olayide added that investigators are following the money trail to identify other linked accounts and assets.
Mars Aviation Limited is owned by Abdullahi Bashir Haske, founder and Group Managing Director of AA&R. Haske, who is married to a daughter of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, was declared wanted by the EFCC in August for alleged conspiracy and money laundering.
The case forms part of EFCC’s broader effort to uncover financial crimes within Nigeria’s oil and gas sector. Legal analysts say the court’s order strengthens the Commission’s authority to safeguard public funds.
So far, neither Fidelity Bank nor NNPCL has released an official statement on the matter.
