A prosecution witness in the ongoing trial of Olu Agunloye, former Minister of Power and Steel, has told the Federal High Court in Abuja that the contract document used in awarding the $6 billion Mambilla Power Project was forged.
Umar Babangida, who is the third prosecution witness (PW3), made the revelation on Monday during cross-examination before Justice Jude Onwuegbuzie.
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Agunloye is standing trial on an amended seven-count charge bordering on alleged corruption and fraudulent award of the multi-billion-dollar Mambilla contract to Sunrise Power and Transmission Company Limited (SPTCL).
Babangida, an investigator with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), said his findings showed that the contract award letter dated May 22, 2003, allegedly issued by Agunloye, was not authentic.
“I wrote the investigation report tendered before this court. In the course of investigation, we found out that while serving as minister, Agunloye awarded a contract for the Mambilla project to SPTCL on May 22, 2003. The contract letter has also been presented before this court,” he said.
When asked by defence counsel, Adeola Adedipe, whether the EFCC compared the document with an original version, Babangida maintained that the letter was fraudulent on the face of it.
“The award document was a false representation of itself. It contains false information and misrepresentation of facts. I did not compare it with another document because the document itself was tendered as a certified true copy,” he added.
The witness further told the court that the alleged contract award did not follow due process and was not approved by the Federal Executive Council (FEC).
According to him, records obtained by the EFCC show that 40 ministers, including Agunloye, were present during the FEC meeting of May 21, 2003, and no approval for such a contract was given.
Babangida also confirmed that he interviewed Kanu Agabi, former Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice, as well as then-President Olusegun Obasanjo, both of whom provided clarifications during the probe.
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However, he noted that no written statements were recorded because the interviews were conducted orally.
“I was not at the FEC meeting of May 21, 2003, but we obtained the minutes through a formal request. Apart from the defendant, 39 other ministers were present at the meeting,” he told the court.
Onwuegbuzie adjourned the case to December 1, 2025, for continuation of cross-examination of the prosecution witness.
