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‘A Certified Lie’: Former Power Minister Olu Agunloye Accused of Forging $6 Billion Mambilla Contract, Court Told
A former minister of power and steel, Olu Agunloye, was told by a prosecution witness on Monday that the contract award document for the mult‑billion‑dollar Mambilla Power Project was a forgery. This is according to the details provided by the Economic amd Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) which is currentky prosecuting the case.
Join our WhatsApp ChannelAccording to a statement made available to Prime. business Africa in Abuja on Monday by EFCC’s Head of Media and Publicity, Dele Oyewale, the third prosecuting witness, Umar Hussein Banbangida (PW3), was giving evidence before Justice Jude Onwuegbuzie of the Federal High Court in Abuja. Under cross‑examination by defence counsel Adeola Adedipe, SAN, Banbangida said he had authored the investigation report that was later tendered in court.
“I wrote the investigation report which was earlier tendered before the court. In the course of investigation, we found out that while serving as a minister, Agunloye awarded a contract for the Mambilla project to SPTCL on May 22, 2003 and the contract letter had been tendered in court,” he testified.
When asked whether the document had been compared with an original, Banbangida replied:
“The award document was a false representation of itself, it was compared with the information contained in it. It contains false information and misrepresentation of facts. I did not compare it with another document because the document itself is a certified true copy.”
The witness also referenced a Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting held on May 21, 2003, at which 40 ministers were present, including Agunloye.
“During the FEC meeting of May 21, 2003, there were 40 ministers, including Agunloye in attendance,” he said.
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Banbangida added that his investigation had involved interviews with the then Attorney‑General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Chief Kanu Agabi, SAN, and former President Olusegun Obasanjo.
“I interviewed the then Attorney‑General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice, Chief Kanu Agabi, SAN, and former President Olusegun Obasanjo,” he told the court.
When pressed by Adedipe for a written record of those interviews, Banbangida said none existed because the conversations were oral, though he noted that President Obasanjo had later written a letter to the current AGF and Minister of Justice.
“There was no written report because it was an oral interview and President Olusegun Obasanjo also wrote a letter to the current AGF and Minister of Justice,” he explained.
He further clarified his own presence at the 2003 FEC meeting:
“I was not at the FEC meeting of 21 May 2003 but we obtained the report via a formal request. Apart from the defendant, 39 other ministers were present at that meeting and I did not interview His Excellency Atiku Abubakar, the then Vice‑President.”
Justice Onwuegbuzie adjourned the matter to *December 1, 2025*, for the continuation of the cross‑examination of PW3.
Agunloye is currently facing an amended seven‑count charge of official corruption and the fraudulent award of the Mambilla Power Project contract, alleged to be worth $6 billion.
The case underscores the ongoing legal scrutiny of high‑profile corruption allegations in Nigeria’s power sector.
