A federal high court in Maitama, Abuja, has ordered the final forfeiture of a Hawker 800XP private jet allegedly linked to fraud, corruption, and money laundering connected to the Maiduguri Emergency Power Project (MEPP) awarded by Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited in 2021.
The aircraft, identified as a Hawker 125 with serial number 258553 and registration number 5N-AMK, was forfeited to the federal government following an application filed by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
According to EFCC spokesperson Dele Oyewale, Justice Emeka Nwite ruled that Valiente Jet Limited, a company linked to Abdulsalam Mustapha Kachallah, failed to provide sufficient evidence showing the lawful origin of the funds used to purchase the aircraft.
“The interested party has not demonstrated with evidence the lawful origin of the funds used to purchase the aircraft,” the judge reportedly held, adding that the concealed structure of the transaction strengthened suspicions surrounding the ownership claim.
The court also found that the jet was acquired through what investigators described as a disguised financial arrangement involving a bureau de change operator who allegedly denied knowledge of the true nature of the transaction.
The EFCC said an interim forfeiture order had earlier been granted on November 13, 2025, after which the order was published in a national newspaper to allow interested parties contest the forfeiture.
Following the publication, Valiente Jet Limited filed affidavits challenging the move, while the EFCC submitted additional evidence through an affidavit deposed to by one of its investigators, Aminu Abdullahi.
According to the anti-graft agency, investigations revealed that in 2021, contracts worth about $114.1 million and over ₦23.1 billion were awarded under the Maiduguri Emergency Power Project.
The commission alleged that Abdulsalam Mustapha Kachallah, who was then chairman of the Borno State Rural Electrification Board and also a member of the project steering committee, exploited his position to engage in illicit dealings involving the contracts.
The EFCC further claimed that Kachallah entered unlawful agreements with China Machinery Engineering Company through companies linked to him and allegedly sold confidential bidding information in exchange for financial inducements.
Investigators said CMEC eventually secured three contracts under the project valued at over $52 million and ₦20.2 billion.
Part of the funds, according to the EFCC, was routed through Afuwa Integrated Services Limited, a bureau de change operator, under claims that the company had been subcontracted by CMEC.
The anti-graft agency alleged that CMEC transferred $2.07 million into the Stanbic IBTC account of Afuwa Integrated Services Limited on Kachallah’s instruction.
The commission further alleged that forged invoices were prepared to create the impression that legitimate consultancy services had been rendered to CMEC.
Investigators said the funds were later transferred to a Brazilian account and used to purchase the aircraft from a Brazilian company.
The EFCC also accused Kachallah of later forging ownership documents to transfer the jet to Valiente Jet Limited.
However, Kachallah opposed the forfeiture application, insisting that the payments were legitimate proceeds from consultancy and contract facilitation services allegedly provided to CMEC in relation to the power project.
