Federal High Court Abuja on Monday ordered that the Hawker 800XP jet be permanently forfeited to the Federal Government.
Justice Emeka Nwite ruled that the owner, Valiente Jet Limited, failed to prove the lawful origin of the funds used to buy the aircraft.
The EFCC told the court that the jet was purchased with money traced to illicit dealings involving the former chairman of the Borno State Rural Electrification Board, Abdulsalam Mustapha Kachallah and a member of the project’s steering committee.
Investigators say Kachallah used his position to secure privileged bidding information and passed it to China Machinery Engineering Company, which later won contracts worth over $52 million and N20 billion under the project.
Part of the funds was routed through a Bureau De Change operator under false claims of subcontract work, and then sent abroad to buy the jet.
The aircraft was registered under Afuwa Integrated Services Limited before ownership was transferred to Valiente Jet Limited, a company linked to Kachallah.
The court had issued an interim forfeiture order in November 2025. After no sufficient evidence was presented to justify keeping the jet, Justice Nwite granted the final forfeiture to the Federal Government.
(Editor: Terverr Tyav)
