By Tse Tse Tuk | The North Journals
In the wake of unsettling rumours about a possible coup détat in Nigeria, the arrest of several senior military officers, and the raids on the Abuja and Bayelsa mansions of former Petroleum Minister, Timipre Sylva—who has reportedly fled to London with his wife—one name has quietly resurfaced in Nigeria’s security circles: Aboubacar Hima, the elusive arms dealer from Niger Republic.
Once a constant feature in Abuja’s corridors of power, “Petit Boube,” as he is fondly called by his Nigerien associates, has become a ghost in the eyes of Nigerian law enforcement. His disappearance coincided with the unraveling of his network of friends in uniform—retired and serving generals whose patronage fueled his rise to billionaire status during the administrations of Goodluck Jonathan and Muhammadu Buhari.
Now, with the tables turned and governments changing both in Nigeria and his home country, Niger Republic, the man once called Style Féroce is living up to a new reputation—the billionaire fugitive.
From Niger’s dusty streets to Nigeria’s defence billions
Before Nigeria’s multi-billion-naira defence budget became his playground, Aboubacar Hima was an artisanal printer in Niamey, Niger Republic. His transformation from a small-time hustler to a top-tier arms contractor is the stuff of legend. Through his company, Société D’Equipment International Nigeria Limited (SEI), he bagged contracts worth hundreds of millions of dollars to supply arms and military equipment to the Nigerian Armed Forces.
But by 2020, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) declared him wanted over alleged criminal conspiracy, contract fraud, misappropriation of public funds, and money laundering.
“The man is accused of engaging in fraud to the tune of over $394 million, £9.9 million and ₦369 million,” the EFCC said in a public notice, urging anyone with information on his whereabouts to contact the agency.
Hima, then 46 years old, reportedly ignored multiple EFCC summons. Investigators alleged that large sums paid to him for arms procurement had either been diverted or used to supply substandard or incomplete equipment.
Five mansions, five bank accounts, one fugitive
When Hima continued to evade interrogation, the EFCC obtained a final forfeiture order on his assets—five luxury homes in Abuja’s Maitama District and funds totaling ₦46 million across multiple bank accounts.
The forfeited properties include:
House No. 6, Ethiopia Close, Off Owena Close, Maitama, Abuja
Plot 3515, Cadastral Zone A06, Maitama
Plot 3516, Cadastral Zone A06, Maitama
Plot 3518, Cadastral Zone A06, Maitama
Plot 3519, Cadastral Zone A06, Maitama
The EFCC also seized sums in Zenith Bank and First Bank accounts held in Hima’s name and that of SEI.
But in a stunning reversal two years later, a Nigerian court ordered the return of the properties and funds to the arms dealer. His lawyer, Kayode Ajulo, claimed EFCC officials even visited Niger Republic to “interview” Hima in his palatial home—an encounter that further blurred the lines between justice and political influence.
The Czech connection
While Nigeria’s investigators scrambled for leads, The North Journals learned that Hima had quietly relocated to the Czech Republic, where he now owns luxury homes in Prague, the European country’s scenic capital.
Two of his companies—TSI and BRID A DEFCON—originally registered in Nigeria, have since opened offices in Prague. BRID A DEFCON, sources said, is now a local partner to DEFCON, a well-known Czech arms manufacturer that has trained Nigerian Air Force pilots and maintained contracts across Africa.
A Czech lawyer, Jiri Horak, from Rovenska Partners, reportedly manages Hima’s European operations.
“He knows practically everyone in Czech’s defence industry,” one source familiar with the businessman’s network told The North Journals. “His lawyer runs the day-to-day operations while he remains behind the curtain.”
Under fire in Niger Republic
Hima’s troubles aren’t confined to Nigeria. In 2020, the Nigerien government ordered an audit of its military procurement deals. The findings were explosive.
The report accused Hima’s company, BRID A DEFCON, of inflating contract sums and failing to deliver equipment worth millions of euros.
Among the flagged deals:
– €30 million contract to supply 80 trucks from Steyr Motors Austria—allegedly inflated by €15 million.
– €24 million deal for bombs, cartridges, and accessories—partially executed.
– €11 million contract for military equipment—not executed at all.
Despite the damning audit, Hima’s lawyer, Marc Le Bihan, insisted that the Nigerien government owed his client, not the other way around. He claimed all contracts were duly executed and fully accounted for.
From Niamey to California: the Dolarian link
The arms trail took another twist in May 2019, when U.S. authorities arrested Ara Dolarian, president of Dolarian Capital Inc., on suspicion of illegal arms brokering and money laundering.
American prosecutors revealed that in June 2014, Dolarian entered into a contract with Société D’Equipments Internationaux (SEI) Nigeria Ltd, Hima’s firm, to supply the Nigerien government with $8.5 million worth of bombs, rockets, firearms, and aircraft cannons.
The transactions linked Hima to an international web of shadowy arms dealers stretching from California to Bulgaria and from Abuja to Niamey—a network that has drawn the attention of both U.S. and African intelligence services.
The fall of friends and fortunes
Hima’s fortunes began to wane as his most powerful allies lost influence. In Nigeria, his benefactors in the military and political elite have either been retired, disgraced, or sidelined under the Tinubu administration.
In Niger Republic, his close ally, President Mohamed Bazoum, was toppled in a military coup in 2023—leaving Hima politically exposed.
“The billionaire fugitive built his empire on proximity to power,” a Nigerian intelligence source told The North Journals. “Now that power has changed hands in both countries, he is keeping a safe distance.”
A fugitive’s quiet life in Europe
Today, Aboubacar Hima lives discreetly in the Czech Republic, occasionally spotted at defence expos in Prague and Brno, but avoiding public attention. His companies continue to trade in the grey zones of the global arms market—beyond the reach of Nigerian law and beyond the curiosity of Czech regulators.
Whether he will ever return to face justice in Nigeria remains uncertain. But one thing is clear: in the intricate web of power, arms, and politics that spans West Africa and Europe, Aboubacar “Petit Boube” Hima has perfected the art of staying one step ahead.
“He is the kind of man who vanishes when the music changes,” said one former associate. “And in Africa’s corridors of power, the music changes often.”
The North Journals gathered that Aboubacar Hima is no stranger to controversies. Married to the daughter of late President Ibrahim Bare Maïnassara of Niger Republic who was killed in a bloody coup d’état in1999, “Petit Boube” is similarly facing a military procurement probe in his home country.
