MAMBILLA: The Melodrama continues
EFCC Star-Witness told court on Monday, 24th November 2025 that “I concluded the letter was forged by looking at it. I did not compare it with any standards or carry out any forensic investigations or any tests”_
The court sat on the Mambilla court trial of Dr. Agunloye, Nigeria’s former Minister of Power, on Monday 24th November 2025 at 10.25 am to continue the cross-examination of Mr. Umar Babangida, an Assistant Commissioner of Police who has been a Chief Investigation Officer at the EFCC for over ten years. Babangida is the star witness of EFCC, and a top-rated investigator designated as PW3 in this case.
It would be recalled that PW3 was on the stand on 9 October 2025 to commence the cross-examination process by the Defence lawyer, Mr. Adeola Adedipe, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria. During the cross-examination, PW3 contradicted his earlier evidence in chief by admitting that there was no directive from the President of Nigeria that Agunloye disobeyed as charged and arraigned. PW3 also contradicted his own earlier submission under oath that the Adesanya, the proprietor of Sunrise Company and Agunloye were long time close associates and that this was why the “$6 billion Mambilla contract” was awarded to Sunrise by Agunloye. The contradiction came because PW3 admitted under cross-examination that he had indeed earlier submitted evidence to the court that Agunloye never met Adesanya before the BOT contract award and he had only met him again twice since he (Agunloye) left office as Minister in May 2003; first in 2014, 11 years after and second in 2018, 15 years after.
During the proceedings of Monday, 25 November 2025, the Defence dealt with the charge of forgery against Agunloye. The prosecution had charged that Agunloye forged the letter of award dated 22 May 2003 and signed by him as a sitting Minister of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. PW3 admitted that he did not compare the letter with any authentic or genuine version before concluding that it was a forged document. In fact, PW3 told the court that he concluded the letter in question was forged only by going through it.
PW3 also told the court that the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting of 21 May 2003 was attended by 40 (forty) ministers, Vice President Atiku Abubakar and President Olusegun Obasanjo. He said he had to interview one of the 40 Ministers and President Obasanjo since he (PW3) was not present at the FEC meeting. He admitted that he did not submit any report of his interview with the Minister that he interviewed. PW3 further admitted that the former President Obasanjo wrote a letter recently to the current serving Attorney General of the Federation and he confirmed that he recognised the letter when shown to him as an Exhibit. At this juncture, the court stopped the cross examination and adjourned the case.
It will be recalled also, that just before the cross-examination of the star witness began in early October 2025, the prosecution had by itself dropped the charges that Agunloye “awarded the $6 billon contract without financial appropriation and without any cash backing”, perhaps because the EFCC had realised that Build, Operate and Transfer (BOT) contracts do not require that ‘Cash Backing’ or ‘Financial Appropriation’ be provided for in Budgets. The court, nonetheless, re-arraigned the former Minister for the third time.
The Judge adjourned the case till 1 December 2025
Johnston Saliu. Abuja
24 November 2025
