Biotechnology Agency DG, Abdullahi Mustapha Involved In Alleged N1Billion Loot Scandal

Biotechnology Agency DG, Abdullahi Mustapha has been involved in an alleged  N1Billion loot scandal.

 

NewsOnline Nigeria reports that the Director-General of the National Biotechnology Development Agency (NABDA), Professor Abdullahi Mustapha, has been allegedly implicated in a sprawling N1 billion scandal involving questionable contract awards and payments to shadowy companies, many of which have been linked directly or indirectly to him.

According to an explosive investigation by award-winning investigative journalist Jackson Ude posted on his official X platform, Mustapha, who was recently reappointed by President Bola Tinubu for a second five-year term oversaw payments to a slew of companies with either no tax compliance records or no verifiable existence in Nigeria’s corporate registry.

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“What we found during this investigation is deeply disturbing,” said Ude. “Public funds; over a billion naira have been channeled to entities that either don’t exist on paper or are completely inactive, many of which are allegedly connected to the DG himself.”

Among the most glaring examples cited in the investigation are:

• MIRKHAL MULTI-SERVICES LTD, a non-tax compliant entity, was paid ₦84,084,093.02 on 24th October 2025 for the supply and installation of solar street lights in Rimin Gado LGA, Kano State. The full contract value was ₦96,160,000.00.

• TANJEE REAL ESTATE DEVELOPERS AND PROPERTIES LIMITED, also flagged as non-tax compliant, received ₦24,895,862.40 for “reactivation of electricity” in Akwa Ibom, part of a ₦94.9 million contract—allegedly without any visible implementation on the ground.

• UNIFIED AUTOS NIG LTD, an automobile sales company, was curiously awarded ₦76 million for “infrastructural upgrades” in Kano. The total contract value: ₦289,944,124.88. The relevance of a car dealership executing infrastructure projects raises serious red flags.

• Other companies such as ARABS & PARTNERS LIMITED, JIDAS NIGERIA LIMITED, and GABBYLYNN INVESTMENT LIMITED were also reportedly awarded multi-million naira contracts despite being non-tax compliant or having dubious operational status.

 

“There’s a recurring pattern here,” Ude noted. “The dates of payment, the nature of the companies involved, and the lack of tangible results all point to systemic abuse of office.”

Mustapha, a former Vice Chancellor of Ahmadu Bello University, was first appointed to head NABDA in 2020 by former President Muhammadu Buhari. Despite the cloud of allegations, President Tinubu reappointed him to lead the agency charged with spearheading Nigeria’s biotechnology innovations.

“We are calling on the relevant anti-corruption agencies to open an independent investigation,” Ude concluded. “The evidence uncovered so far suggests that this is just the tip of the iceberg.”

As of the time of this report, the Director-General has not issued a public statement regarding the allegations.