Intels severs ties with former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar

Nigeria’s leading oil and gas logistics company, Intels Nigeria Limited, on Monday said it has severed ties with former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, who was one of its major shareholders.

Intels said it severed ties with Atiku and his family after the former vice president sold off his shares and exited the company last year.

In a statement on Monday, Intels spokesman, Tommaso Ruffinoni, said Atiku, through his trust named Guernsey Trust International, sold shares of Orlean-Invest Group, Intels parent company, between December 2018 and January 2019, for a sum of approximately USD60million.

“In the period between April and May 2020, Mr Atiku Abubakar converted his remaining shares into a convertible bond that he subsequently monetized up to a residual sum of approximately 29M USD.

“When he requested to cash in the above-mentioned sum, our group contested to Mr Atiku Abubakar a debt towards our group, of 24.1M USD. Without having received any answer regarding the matter, on 30th of November 2020 Mr Atiku Abubakar was informed about the set-off of such sum while we made available the remaining sum of 5.4M USD.

“With the completion of the above-mentioned transactions, the era of Mr Atiku Abubakar family’s involvement with the Group Orlean-Intels is over.

“On 1st December 2020, our group terminated also the working relationship with Mr Atiku Abubakar’s sons, Mr Adamu Atiku Abubakar and Mr Aminu Atiku Abubakar, and since that date, our group does not have any contacts, neither direct nor indirect, with members of Mr Atiku Abubakar’s family,” Ruffinoni stated.

Atiku says FG destroying legitimate businesses

Atiku Abubakar, in a statement issued in Abuja on Monday by his media adviser Paul Ibe, said his divestment from Integrated Logistics Services Nigeria Limited (Intels) were hinged on alleged attempts by the present administration to destroy businesses.

The co-founder of Intels confirmed that he has been selling his shares in Intels over the years.

The statement added: “It assumed greater urgency in the last last five years, because this government has been preoccupied with destroying a legitimate business that was employing thousands of Nigerians because of politics.

“There should be a marked difference between politics and business.

“Yes, he has sold his shares in Intels and redirected his investment to other sectors of the economy for returns and creation of jobs.”

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