The trial of former Minister of Power, Olu Agunloye, over the alleged $6bn Mambilla Project Fraud continued on Wednesday at the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court in Apo, Abuja, with a prosecution witness explaining the circumstances surrounding the certification of extracts from a Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting relied upon in the case.
Key Highlights
- Trial of former Power Minister Olu Agunloye resumes in Abuja.
- Witness clarifies certification process of FEC meeting extracts.
- EFCC alleges fraudulent award of the $6bn Mambilla Hydropower Project contract.
- Witness says certification omission was an administrative oversight.
- Defence challenges discrepancies in dates on official documents.
- Prosecution objects to aspects of cross-examination
- Court adjourns hearing to June 18 and July 2, 2026.
Agunloye is being prosecuted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on an amended seven-count charge bordering on official corruption and the alleged fraudulent award of the $6bn Mambilla Project Fraud contract to Sunrise Power Transmission Company Limited.
The fifth prosecution witness (PW5), Iliya John Iyakwari, an Assistant Director of Legal in the Federal Ministry of Justice and currently serving as Assistant Legal Adviser in the Federal Ministry of Power, testified before Justice Jude Onwuegbuzie during cross-examination by defence counsel, Adeola Adedipe, SAN.
Iyakwari told the court that the EFCC initially requested certified extracts of the minutes of the Federal Executive Council meeting held on May 21, 2003.
According to him, the Ministry of Power forwarded the requested documents to the anti-graft agency through a memo dated July 27, 2023. However, the documents were inadvertently transmitted without certification.
The witness explained that the omission was later discovered by the EFCC after receiving the documents.
“It was after the EFCC received the documents in July 2023 that they realized the extract was not certified. In January 2024, an EFCC staff member returned the document and pointed out the omission,” Iyakwari told the court.
He added that his director subsequently directed him to certify the documents, resulting in the certification being formally completed on January 26, 2024.
During testimony, Iyakwari acknowledged that he mistakenly stamped the original forwarding letter while carrying out the certification process.
According to him, the error created a discrepancy between the date on the forwarding memo and the certification date appearing on the documents.
The witness insisted that the difference in dates was purely administrative and arose during efforts to correct the earlier oversight.
He maintained that the certification process followed standard procedures once the omission was identified.
During cross-examination, defence counsel questioned whether the witness’s account contradicted an earlier statement suggesting that certification was completed in 2023.
However, prosecution counsel, Abba Mohammed, SAN, objected to the line of questioning.
Mohammed argued that court records clearly showed the witness never stated that certification occurred in 2023.
“My Lord, the records of the court are clear. The witness merely summarized that the activities commenced in June 2023; he never stated that the certification was done in 2023,” the prosecutor submitted.
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Another legal argument emerged when the defence attempted to question Iyakwari regarding documents allegedly tendered by an EFCC operative identified as Babangida during previous proceedings.
The prosecution objected, arguing that the witness was not present in court during the operative’s testimony and therefore could not be cross-examined on documents that were not tendered through him.
Mohammed cited relevant judicial authorities, including the case of Buhari v. INEC & Others (2008), in support of his objection.
Following arguments from both parties, Justice Onwuegbuzie adjourned proceedings until June 18 and July 2, 2026, for the continuation of trial.
The case remains one of Nigeria’s most closely watched corruption trials, focusing on the controversial award of the multi-billion-dollar Mambilla Hydropower Project contract.
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