Exclusive: NNPC used Atiku’s son-in-law to launder funds, anti-graft agency finds
Nigeria’s anti-crimes commission has indicated that the state-owned petroleum company NNPC used accounts belonging to ex-vice president Atiku Abubakar’s son-in-law, Bashir Abdullahi Haske, to launder money.
Officials in the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) used the company accounts of Bashir Abdullahi Haske to launder funds, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has found.
The allegation has put a spotlight on NNPC chief executive Bayo Ojulari, who is facing mounting pressure to resign after less than five months in office.
Documents obtained from the EFCC stated that Haske, a son-in-law of former vice president Atiku Abubakar, pretended to be receiving payments for services rendered to the NNPC when, in fact, he was laundering money on behalf of the national oil company.
Haske, who has been declared wanted by the EFCC, had sued the anti-corruption watchdog for unlawful arrest and abuse of his human rights.
In an affidavit, the CEO of Mars Aviation had admitted receiving contracts worth $46.7m from the national oil firm but insisted that these contracts were approved between 2018 and 2022, long before Ojulari was appointed as CEO of the NNPC.
Company has no aircraft as claimed, says NNPC
Haske explained that his company, Mars Aviation, offers private jet and helicopter charter services for executive travel and other specialised aviation needs, and this was the service offered to the NNPC.
He claimed to have provided 14-seater and 50-seater jets at various times to the NNPC, which were used to transport its top executives.
However, in a response filed before a federal judge, the EFCC said preliminary investigations revealed that, contrary to claims by Haske, “there was never a 14-seater or 50-seater aircraft owned by the company”.
The EFCC added: “The contract was awarded to Mars Aviation Limited in a bid to siphon public funds from the coffers of the NNPC.”
The anti-graft agency also dismissed claims by Haske that he was subjected to unfair treatment while in detention.
Where Haske’s troubles began
Haske is the CEO of AA&R Investment Group, a sprawling conglomerate he runs with his brother Abdulrahman. The group spans a range of sectors – oil and gas, IT, aviation, logistics and agriculture – and includes subsidiaries such as Etihad Oilfield Services, Etihad Energy, Etihad Trading, H&W Starch Derivatives, Manomi Support Services, H&W Rice, Nitroswitch, Mars Multiconcepts, Mars Aviation and Mars E&P.
Haske’s rise in the oil sector is attributed to his closeness to former NNPC boss Maikanti Baru, who approved an exploratory drilling contract in northern Nigeria running into millions of dollars. Haske’s company, Oilfield Services, struck oil in 2019 at the Kolmani River II Well, located in Bauchi State.
The anti-corruption watchdog believes he has been laundering money on behalf of the top management of the NNPC.
Even so, some members of President Bola Tinubu’s inner circle view the contracts awarded to Haske’s firms as a strategic risk, worried that funnelling state resources to Atiku’s son-in-law could indirectly finance the opposition campaign ahead of what’s expected to be a highly competitive presidential race.
However, sources close to Ojulari tell The Africa Report that this is just a ruse to get Ojulari out of office, arguing that it may be connected to his refusal to give contracts to some of the president’s men.
