The ongoing Mambilla Power Project trial took a dramatic turn on Monday as the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) admitted in open court that former President Olusegun Obasanjo not only knew about the 2003 Build-Operate-Transfer (BOT) contract for the project, but also vowed to testify against his former Minister of Power and Steel, Dr. Olu Agunloye, “anywhere in the world.”
At the resumed session on 1 December 2025, the EFCC’s lead investigator, Mr. Umar Babangida—designated as Prosecution Witness 3 (PW3)—came under intense cross-examination from defence counsel, Senior Advocate of Nigeria Adeola Adedipe. What followed was an unraveling of contradictions between Obasanjo’s letters to the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) and the evidence tendered by the EFCC itself.
Under cross-examination, PW3 confirmed that Dr. Agunloye had written to President Obasanjo on 7 April 2003 seeking approval to issue a letter to Sunrise Power for the Mambilla Hydroelectric Project. He further acknowledged that Obasanjo responded with a directive to bring a memo to the Federal Executive Council (FEC) with a comparison to a coal thermal power station.
Asked whether Agunloye complied, PW3 answered clearly: “Yes, he brought the memo to the Council with the comparison.”
This admission directly contradicts Obasanjo’s December 2023 letter to the current AGF, in which the former president claimed Agunloye did not bring the required memo to the FEC.
The court session heightened when the defence asked PW3 whether Obasanjo misled the AGF to ensure Agunloye was charged. Although the prosecution objected—accusing the defence of applying “psychological tactics”—the judge overruled and ordered PW3 to answer.
PW3 eventually conceded that Obasanjo’s letter to AGF Lateef Fagbemi distorted the facts, particularly the claim that he was unaware of the 2003 BOT contract. Defence lawyer Adedipe confronted PW3 with EFCC’s own interview records, which showed Obasanjo answering investigation questions premised on his knowledge of the contract.
When asked why he would question Obasanjo about a contract he supposedly did not know about, PW3 admitted the former president was “indeed aware” of the BOT agreement.
In another revelation, PW3 acknowledged—in contradiction to his earlier claim of ignorance—that Obasanjo had, in his December 2023 letter, vowed to testify against Agunloye before any court or arbitration tribunal.
This admission reinforced the defence’s argument that Obasanjo had a personal interest in ensuring Agunloye was prosecuted.
Amid the intense exchanges, the judge eventually suspended the cross-examination to attend to other pending matters. The trial was adjourned to Wednesday, 3 December 2025.
Observers say Monday’s proceedings may prove pivotal, as they point to major inconsistencies between Obasanjo’s written claims and the EFCC’s investigative records—raising questions about political influence and potential misrepresentation in the prosecution of the former minister.