Court gavel
A Federal High Court in Abuja has ordered the temporary freezing of a Fidelity Bank account belonging to Mars Aviation Limited, following suspicions of involvement in a financial scandal linked to the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL).
Justice Musa Liman granted the order after hearing an ex-parte motion filed by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) through its counsel, Geraldine Ofulue. The motion alleged that the account was under investigation for criminal misappropriation and money laundering.
“The account is currently the subject of a criminal investigation involving large sums of money paid by NNPCL for questionable contracts,” Ofulue told the court, urging the judge to freeze the account to safeguard the integrity of the ongoing probe.
Justice Liman agreed, stating that the application had merit and subsequently approved the freezing order.
Although the court order was issued on September 22, a certified true copy was obtained and made public on Monday. The EFCC’s motion, marked FHC/ABJ/CS/1299/2025, was filed on July 1.
The agency requested that its Executive Chairman, Ola Olukoyede, or any authorised officer, be permitted to direct Fidelity Bank’s Managing Director to freeze the specific account: number 5250350283 (C03651082), held in the name of Mars Aviation Limited.
In a supporting affidavit, EFCC investigator Abdulganiyu Olayide, from the Special Duties Committee, revealed that his team began probing the matter after receiving intelligence suggesting that Mars Aviation received payments from NNPCL for “non-existent contracts awarded in violation of the Procurement Act.”
“Our findings so far show that significant funds were transferred by NNPCL to Mars Aviation’s account in several tranches,” Olayide stated.
He emphasized that freezing the account was crucial to prevent further transactions and protect potential evidence. “This interim measure is necessary to preserve the funds and ensure a thorough investigation,” he said.
“It is in the interest of justice to grant this application,” he added, swearing that the affidavit was filed in good faith under the Oaths Act.
NAN
