The trial of former Minister of Power and Steel, Dr. Olu Agunloye took a new turn on Monday, as the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, tendered the written statement of former President Olusegun Obasanjo as evidence before a Federal Capital Territory High Court in Abuja.
Agunloye is facing a seven-count charge bordering on forgery, disobedience to presidential directives, and receiving gratification in relation to the controversial award of the $6 billion Mambilla Hydropower Project in Taraba State.
The EFCC alleges that Agunloye unlawfully awarded the contract to Sunrise Power and Transmission Company Limited on May 22, 2003, without budgetary provisions, presidential approval, or Federal Executive Council endorsement.
At the resumed hearing, the third prosecution witness, Assistant Commissioner of Police Umar Hussein Babangida—currently seconded to the EFCC—told Justice Jude Onwuegbuzie that Obasanjo had clarified in a written statement that no approval was granted to Agunloye to proceed with the contract award.
Babangida said the EFCC had initially received a letter from the former president dated November 27, 2023, addressed to the Attorney-General of the Federation, in which Obasanjo recounted events from the FEC meeting held on May 21, 2003.
In the letter, Obasanjo reportedly stated that while Agunloye had submitted a memo concerning the project, he was instructed to formally present it to the FEC for deliberation—an instruction which was never followed through.
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The prosecution also informed the court that the Ministry of Justice provided a certified true copy (CTC) of Obasanjo’s letter upon request.
Babangida added that a follow-up interview was conducted with the former president, during which he categorically stated that Agunloye acted outside the bounds of executive approval.
“In his interview with the EFCC, Obasanjo emphasized that the letter dated May 22, 2003, issued by Agunloye to award the Mambilla power contract to SPTCL, was not authorized by the presidency nor reflective of the Federal Government’s position,” Babangida testified.
The prosecution counsel, Abba Mohammed SAN, moved to tender Obasanjo’s written statement as an exhibit.
While the defense, represented by Samuel Fagade (standing in for lead counsel Adeola Adedipe SAN), objected to the admission of the statement, he reserved the details of his objection for final arguments. Justice Onwuegbuzie accepted the document provisionally.
The EFCC also presented financial records showing that Agunloye received a series of payments from Jide Abiodun Sotirin—an aide to Leno Adesanya and a director at SPTCL—into his Guaranty Trust Bank account in 2019, totaling over ₦5 million.
Justice Onwuegbuzie adjourned the case to June 18, 2025, for continued hearing.
NAN
