An EFCC witness has told a Federal High Court in Abuja that former minister Olu Agunloye reduced FG equity in the Mambilla project without approval and received ₦5.6m
Mambilla Power Project Trial: EFCC Witness Testifies Against Olu Agunloye
The trial of former Minister of Power and Steel, Olu Agunloye, took a dramatic turn on Monday as a prosecution witness told the court that the ex-minister unilaterally reduced the Federal Government’s equity stake in the controversial Mambilla Power Project without presidential approval.
Testifying before Justice Jude Onwuegbuzie at the Federal High Court of Nigeria, Apo Division, Abuja, the third prosecution witness, Umar Hussein Babangida, an investigator with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), alleged that the government’s stake was cut from 25 percent to 10 percent without due authorisation.
Agunloye is being prosecuted by the EFCC on an amended seven-count charge bordering on official corruption and the alleged fraudulent award of the $6 billion Mambilla Power Project contract to Sunrise Power Transmission Company Limited.
Under cross-examination by defence counsel, Adeola Adedipe (SAN), the witness maintained that the original recommendation for the Federal Government’s equity participation stood at 25 percent, equivalent to $1.5 billion.
“There was no government approval for the reduction to 10 percent,” the witness stated, insisting that the decision was taken without the knowledge of then President Olusegun Obasanjo.
Earlier in the proceedings, the court ruled in favour of the prosecution, allowing the witness to clarify alleged discrepancies between Exhibits EFCC 3K and EFCC 3D—documents relating to Federal Executive Council (FEC) deliberations on the Mambilla Hydroelectric Power Project dated May 21, 2003.
Explaining the documents, the witness told the court, “Exhibit EFCC 3K contains paragraph 14, which is an extract of the deliberation of the FEC meeting of May 21, 2003, concerning the Mambilla Hydroelectric Power Plant and exhibit EFCC 3D, paragraph 14 is also a document of FEC meeting of May 21, 2003. Both are the same in exact words and there is no ambiguity in the two exhibits. Exhibit 3D shows paragraph 13,14, 15 while 3K shows only paragraph 14 which was transmitted to the Ministry of Power by the cabinet office,” he said.
The witness further revealed that a cabinet member was later invited on May 22, 2003, to provide a fuller account of events, as documented in Exhibit EFCC 3N—linked to a response prepared for former President Obasanjo by legal representatives from the Office of the Attorney General of the Federation.
In another key revelation, the EFCC investigator alleged that Agunloye received ₦5.6 million as gratification linked to the contract award. According to him, the money was transferred in 2003 by Jide Sotinri on the instruction of his superior, Leno Adesanya.
He added that while Sotinri claimed in an extrajudicial statement that the funds were meant for surgery, bank records indicated otherwise.
The witness also told the court that at the time the contract was awarded, there was no Ministerial Tenders Board in place, noting that the process was handled instead by a technical committee.
Following the conclusion of cross-examination, Justice Onwuegbuzie adjourned the matter to March 30, 2026, for re-examination of the witness, and further fixed April 20, 27, and 30, 2026, for continuation of trial.
The high-stakes case continues to draw attention as it revisits decisions made during Nigeria’s early 2000s power sector reforms, with significant implications for accountability and transparency in public procurement. Read More
