The third prosecution witness in the ongoing trial of former Minister of Power and Steel, Olu Agunloye, on Monday told the Federal High Court in Abuja that the contract award document for the controversial Mambilla Power Project was forged.
Agunloye is standing trial before Justice Jude Onwuegbuzie on an amended seven count charge bordering on official corruption and the fraudulent award of the multibillion dollar Mambilla contract valued at 6 billion dollars.
Testifying as PW3, Umar Hussein Babangida, an investigator, said during cross examination by defence counsel Adeola Adedipe SAN that the contract award letter dated May 22, 2003 was a false document.
“I wrote the investigation report earlier tendered before this court. In the course of investigation, we found that while serving as minister, Agunloye awarded a contract for the Mambilla project to SPTCL on May 22, 2003. The contract letter was tendered in court,” he said.
When asked whether the document was compared with an original, NAIJAONPOINT stated that the document itself was the issue.
“The award document was a false representation of itself. It was compared with the information it contained. It contained false information and misrepresentation of facts. I did not compare it with another document because it was presented as a certified true copy,” Babangida testified.
He further told the court that records obtained from the Federal Executive Council meeting of May 21, 2003 showed that 40 ministers, including Agunloye, were present. He said he interviewed the then Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Chief Kanu Agabi SAN, and former President Olusegun Obasanjo.
Under further questioning, Babangida stated that there was no written report of the interviews because they were oral, although former President Obasanjo wrote a letter to the current Attorney General and Minister of Justice.
“I was not present at the FEC meeting of May 21, 2003 but we obtained the report via a formal request. Apart from the defendant, 39 other ministers attended that meeting, and I did not interview His Excellency Atiku Abubakar, the then Vice President,” he said.
Justice Onwuegbuzie adjourned the matter until December 1, 2025 for continuation of the cross examination of PW3.