A federal high court in Abuja has granted a final forfeiture order for a Hawker private jet 125 linked to fraud and money laundering involving the Maiduguri emergency power project (MEPP) awarded by Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) in 2021.
Dele Oyewale, spokesperson of the Economic and Financial
Crimes Commission (EFCC), said the final forfeiture of the aircraft, with model
number 800XP, serial number 258553 and registration number 5N-AMK, followed an
application by the anti-graft agency.
Oyewale said Emeka Nwite, the presiding judge, while ruling
on the application, held that no sufficient cause was shown by Valiente Jet
Limited, a company owned by Abdulsalam Mustapha Kachallah, an interested party,
why the aircraft should not be finally forfeited to the federal government.
“The interested party has not demonstrated with evidence the
lawful origin of the funds used to purchase the aircraft,” the statement quoted
the judge as saying, adding that the concealed nature of the transaction
further strengthened the case against the ownership claim.
The judge held that the aircraft was acquired through a
disguised arrangement involving a bureau de change (BDC) operator, who denied
any knowledge of the nature of the transaction.
According to the EFCC spokesperson, the court had granted an
interim forfeiture order on November 13, 2025, directing the commission to
publish the order in a national newspaper to give any interested party the
opportunity to show cause why the aircraft should not be permanently forfeited.
Oyewale said following the publication, Valiente Limited, a
company owned by Abdulsalam Mustapha Kachallah, filed affidavits to show cause,
while the EFCC’s application for final forfeiture was supported by an affidavit
deposed to by Aminu Abdullahi, an investigator with the agency.
He added that the commission received intelligence bordering
on conspiracy, obtaining money by false pretence and money laundering involving
Kachallah in connection with the MEPP.
“Investigations showed that in 2021, the Nigerian National
Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) awarded contracts under the project valued at
$114,148,155 and N23,172,969,904,” the statement reads.
The EFCC alleged that Kachallah, then chairman of the Borno
state rural electrification board and a member of the project’s steering
committee, used his position and access to officials of the NNPCL to engage in
illicit dealings.
Kachallah was also accused of entering into unlawful
agreements with China Machinery Engineering Company (CMEC) through companies in
which he had a substantial interest and of selling privileged bidding
information in exchange for financial inducements.
“The investigation further showed that CMEC was awarded
three contracts under the project valued at $52,120,172 and N20,213,956,953,”
Oyewale said.
“Part of the contract funds was routed through Afuwa
Integrated Services Limited, a Bureau De Change operator, under the false claim
that the company was subcontracted by CMEC.
“CMEC transferred the sum of $2,070,000 (Two Million,
Seventy Thousand Dollars) into the Stanbic IBTC Bank account of Afuwa
Integrated Services Limited on Kachallah’s instruction.
“Investigation further revealed that forged invoices were
prepared in the name of Afuwa Integrated Services Limited to falsely portray
that legitimate services had been rendered to CMEC.
“The funds were thereafter transferred to a Brazilian
account for the purchase of the aircraft from a Brazilian company.”
The EFCC further alleged that Kachallah fraudulently used
Afuwa Integrated Services Limited to acquire the aircraft before forging
documents to transfer ownership to Valiente Jet Limited, a company linked to
him.
Kachallah opposed the forfeiture application, insisting that
the payments arose from consultancy and contract facilitation agreements
between his companies and CMEC.
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