Proceedings in the trial of former Minister of Power, Olu Agunloye, resumed on Thursday at the Federal Capital Territory High Court in Apo, Abuja, with a prosecution witness disputing suggestions that multiple versions of a key Federal Executive Council (FEC) document exist.
Agunloye is being prosecuted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on an amended seven-count charge bordering on alleged official corruption and the award of a $6 billion contract for the Mambilla Hydroelectric Power Project to Sunrise Power Transmission Company Limited.
At the hearing before Justice Jude Onwuegbuzie, the sixth prosecution witness, Iliya John Iyakwari, came under cross-examination by defence counsel, Adeola Adedipe, SAN.
During questioning, Iyakwari maintained that there was no alternative extract of the Federal Executive Council meeting held on May 21, 2003, apart from the certified document already admitted in evidence as Exhibit EFCC 3K. The witness told the court that the document he certified and presented through the prosecution remains the official record before the court.
A point of contention arose when the defence sought permission to question the witness on another document marked Exhibit EFCC 3D. However, the prosecution opposed the application, arguing that the witness could not be cross-examined on a document he neither authored nor tendered before the court.
Lead prosecution counsel, Abba Mohammed, SAN, cited judicial authorities in support of the objection, contending that it would be improper to question the witness on a document with which he had no direct connection.
The witness, a former Assistant Director in the Legal Department of the Federal Ministry of Justice who currently serves as an Assistant Legal Adviser in the Federal Ministry of Power, subsequently concluded his testimony after the cross-examination.
Following the day’s proceedings, Justice Onwuegbuzie adjourned the matter until July 2, 2026, for the continuation of hearing in the case.
The trial forms part of ongoing legal proceedings concerning the controversial Mambilla Power Project contract, one of Nigeria’s largest power infrastructure projects.
