Court orders seizure of private jet In NNPC maiduguri power project fraud case
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has secured a final forfeiture order for a Hawker private jet linked to alleged fraud, corruption, and money laundering connected to the Maiduguri Emergency Power Project.
Justice Emeka Nwite of the Federal High Court in Maitama, Abuja, granted the order on Monday, directing that the aircraft be forfeited to the Federal Government.
The jet in question is a Hawker 125, model 800XP, with serial number 258553 and registration number 5N-AMK. The order followed an application filed by the EFCC.
According to EFCC spokesman Dele Oyewale, the judge ruled that Valiente Jet Limited, a company linked to Abdulsalam Mustapha Kachallah, failed to provide sufficient evidence of the lawful origin of the funds used to buy the aircraft.
The court found that the purchase was made in a manner that raised red flags, including the use of a Bureau De Change operator who later denied knowledge of the transaction.
After Platforms Africa Report, Oil Ministry Director Queried, Minister Disowns Claim“The interested party has not demonstrated with evidence the lawful origin of the funds used to purchase the aircraft,” Justice Nwite said in his ruling.
He added that the “disguised manner” in which the jet was acquired, using the name of a BDC operator who disclaimed involvement, further supported the conclusion that the transaction was unlawful.
The ruling followed an earlier interim forfeiture order granted by the court on November 13, 2025.
At that time, the court directed the EFCC to publish the order in a national newspaper to allow any interested party to show cause why the aircraft should not be permanently forfeited.
In response to the publication, Valiente Jet Limited, owned by Kachallah, filed affidavits opposing the final forfeiture.
The EFCC countered with an affidavit deposed to by investigator Aminu Abdullahi, who said the commission received intelligence on alleged conspiracy, obtaining money by false pretence, and money laundering involving Kachallah.
Abdullahi’s affidavit stated that investigations traced the funds to contracts awarded under the Maiduguri Emergency Power Project in 2021.
The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited, NNPCL, awarded those contracts at a combined value of $114.1 million and over N23.1 billion, according to the EFCC.
With the final forfeiture order now in place, the Hawker jet becomes the property of the Federal Government as the EFCC continues its probe into alleged irregularities in the emergency power project.
