The Federal High Court, Abuja, admitted Ahmed Adamu Dikko, former Managing Director of the Port Harcourt Refining Company, to bail after he pleaded not guilty to a 12-count money laundering charge brought by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) arraigned Ahmed Adamu Dikko, immediate past Managing Director of the Port Harcourt Refining Company, before the Federal High Court, Abuja, on 8 July 2026. Dikko was arraigned alongside a co-defendant, Masterpiece Projects & Investment Limited, on a 12-count charge marked FHC/ABJ/CR/360/2026.
The charge alleges money laundering involving ₦1,322,839,112.70, said by the EFCC to be proceeds linked to contractors engaged by the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) for the rehabilitation of the Port Harcourt refinery. Dikko pleaded not guilty to all counts.
The matter came before Justice Inyang Ekwo of the Federal High Court, Abuja. The defendants are Ahmed Adamu Dikko, who until his removal served as Managing Director of the Port Harcourt Refining Company, and Masterpiece Projects & Investment Limited, joined as a co-defendant on the charge sheet. The prosecuting authority is the EFCC, represented by Ekele Iheanacho, SAN. Counsel for the defence has not yet been confirmed from the available record.
Following the not-guilty plea, Justice Ekwo admitted Dikko to bail in the sum of ₦150 million, with a condition of one surety who must own landed property of similar value within the court's jurisdiction. The court adjourned the matter to 12–14 October 2026 for trial.
Legal significance
The charge is at an early stage. Dikko has pleaded not guilty and the matter proceeds to trial in October 2026. The bail order governs his liberty pending trial and is not a ruling on the substance of the charges.
What happens next
The matter is adjourned to 12–14 October 2026, when trial is expected to begin before Justice Ekwo.
Dikko's not-guilty plea, entered before the court on 8 July 2026, stands as his position on the record. No independent statement or comment from Dikko, his legal representatives, or Masterpiece Projects & Investment Limited was available at the time of this report.
