The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on Monday presented its fifth prosecution witness in the ongoing trial of former Minister of Power, Olu Agunloye, before Justice Jude Onwuegbuzie of the Federal Capital Territory High Court, Apo, Abuja.
Agunloye is being prosecuted on an amended seven-count charge bordering on alleged official corruption and the fraudulent award of the $6 billion Mambilla Power Project contract to Sunrise Power Transmission Company Limited.
The prosecution witness, Iliya John Iyakwari, an Assistant Director of Legal in the Federal Ministry of Justice who is currently serving as an Assistant Legal Adviser in the Federal Ministry of Power, testified on the circumstances surrounding the certification of documents requested by the anti-graft agency.
Led in evidence by prosecution counsel, Abba Mohammed (SAN), Iyakwari told the court that he certified an extract of the minutes of the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting held on May 21, 2003, following a request from the EFCC.
According to him, the commission wrote to the Ministry of Power in June 2023, seeking the certified extract of the FEC meeting as part of its investigation.
He explained that the request, which was addressed to the Permanent Secretary, was subsequently forwarded to the ministry’s Legal Services Department for action.
“The Permanent Secretary forwarded the letter to the Legal Service department, requesting the information on the letter. The legal department wrote to the department that handles such to give us the extract and they forwarded the copy of the said extract where my legal adviser asked me to certify the copy and I forwarded the certified copy of the extract using our official letterhead to the EFCC,” the witness told the court.
During the proceedings, Iyakwari identified the EFCC’s letter of request and the ministry’s response, which were tendered as Exhibits EFCC 3J and EFCC 3K respectively. He confirmed that both documents were true copies.
Following the testimony, Justice Onwuegbuzie adjourned the matter until June 8, 2026, for the cross-examination of the witness.
The trial is one of the high-profile cases being pursued by the EFCC over the controversial Mambilla Power Project contract, which has remained the subject of legal and public scrutiny for years.
