BY OUR SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT – In what appeared a shocking scandal shaking the very core of Nigeria’s oil industry, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has commenced the interrogation of Mr Bayo Ojulari, Group Chief Executive Officer of NNPC Limited.
As a result of the seriousness of the issues at stake, the EFCC has carried out three sessions of investigation within two weeks over Ojulari’s alleged imbroglio in a $20 million money laundering scheme believed to be tied to a son in-law of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar.
This was as some concerned stakeholders and civil society organisations on Thursday, July 31, 2025, staged protests at the EFCC headquarters demanding the arrest and probe of Ojulari. The protesters carried different banners and placards with different inscriptions calling for a probe of N34 billion allegedly handled by the GCEO of the NNPCL.
Competent and dependable sources at both the EFCC and the NNPC Limited confirm to Forefront News that the anti-graft agency is investigating the Group Chief Executive Officer of the NNPC Limited, Mr. Bayo Ojulari’s deep-rooted financial, political, and personal ties to Atiku and his inner circle.
It was gathered that the investigation was premised on the discovery of a transfer of suspicious $20 million to Abdullahi Haske, who is the son in-law to Atiku and a known business associate of Ojulari.
The source also confided in Forefront News that following the appointment of Ojulari as GCEO of the nation’s oil company, by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, there was sudden surge of Haske’s impact at the NNPC Towers.
A source at the EFCC who is in the know of the details of the ongoing investigation, described Haske as a conduit between Ojulari and the Atiku family just as it was gathered that he facilitated some secret meetings, arranged private jet travel, and gifted Ojulari luxury SUVs worth hundreds of millions in naira.
According to the source; “A 2025 Toyota Land Cruiser, Limited Edition currently being used by the NNPC GCEO was from Atiku’s son in-law. It is not a hidden fact”.
More damning are the financial records, flight manifests, and call logs reviewed by the authorities which clearly exposed a consistent pattern of interaction between Ojulari, Haske, and Atiku, pointing to a tightly woven and cordial alliance with political and financial undercurrents.
This was as investigators are in possession of some evidence as far back as 2018 which allegedly showed that Haske and Atiku-controlled entities received repeated cash infusions leading up to the 2023 elections which transactions are presently under serious scrutiny.
Forefront News also gathered that aviation records have equally confirmed that Ojulari and Atiku were co-passengers on Haske’s private jet on multiple occasions between 2022 and 2024.
Another source at the NNPCL Towers, who is privy to the EFCC ongoing investigation, described the development as unfortunate, saying that Ojulari has gone into records as the first sitting Chief Executive Officer of the Company to face EFCC questioning while in office, adding that it is even more disturbing that the investigation is coming barely 112 days on assumption of office.
According to the source who is a senior staff of the NNPCL; “Ojulari’s tenure is now shadowed by not just this investigation, but also by a checkered past”.
This is coming against the backdrop what insiders noted also accounted for his unceremonious exit from Shell Nigeria Exploration and Production Company (SNEPCo) following alleged inflated contract allegations tied to the Bonga FPSO project.
According to the source; “That case, along with others involving a blacklisted contractor and reported kickbacks, is said to be under renewed security scrutiny”.
Meanwhile, Bashir Haske, who is believed to be a close associate is presently on bail, but remains under close watch of the anti-graft agency as investigations deepen.
However, multiple sources alleged he may have jumped bail and currently out of the country.
This explosive investigation which is coming less than two years before the 2027 general elections, has sparked concerns that the NNPC Limited may be entangled in high-stakes political funding operation.
This was as analysts warned of parallels with alleged past scandals reportedly involving figures such as Aisha Achimugu and Governor Jide Sanwoolu of Lagos State.
With mounting pressure on the EFCC and the Presidency, the Ojulari-Atiku connection may yet unravel one of the most damning oil-sector scandals in modern Nigerian history.
