Alleged $6bn Mambilla Fraud: Witness ties key FEC document to SGF’s office

A prosecution witness on Monday told the Federal Capital Territory High Court in Apo, Abuja, that a crucial document linked to the controversial $6 billion Mambilla Power Project contract originated from the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF).

Ugochukwu Christian Okoli, the witness, who appeared as the fourth prosecution witness (PW4), gave testimony in the ongoing trial of Olu Agunloye, former minister of Power, before Jude Onwuegbuzie (Justice).

Agunloye is standing trial on an amended seven-count charge filed by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), bordering on alleged official corruption and the fraudulent award of the Mambilla Hydropower Project contract valued at $6 billion to Sunrise Power Transmission Company Limited.

Led in evidence by Abba Mohammed, prosecution counsel, Okoli told the court that he served as an assistant legal adviser in the SGF’s office on secondment from the Federal Ministry of Justice between 2022 and 2023.

He explained that sometime in September 2022, the SGF’s office received a formal request from the EFCC seeking an extract of the minutes of the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting held on May 21, 2003.

The request specifically related to deliberations on a memo presented by Agunloye as minister of Power concerning the construction of a 3,960-megawatt Mambilla Hydroelectric Power Station under a build, operate, and transfer arrangement.

According to him, the EFCC also requested confirmation of whether the council approved the proposal.

Okoli said the letter was processed through the appropriate administrative channels, starting from the Office of the Attorney-General of the Federation to the Permanent Secretary, before it was eventually assigned to him in the Legal Department.

The witness told the court that upon receiving the assignment, he requested and reviewed the relevant file from the Cabinet Affairs Office, which serves as the secretariat of the FEC.

“I confirmed that the document is domiciled in the Cabinet Affairs Office and recommended that the extract relating to the deliberations be certified,” he said.

He added that his recommendation was approved by the permanent secretary, following which a certified true copy of the extract, containing the council’s deliberations and conclusions, was prepared and endorsed by the head of his department.

The certified document was subsequently returned to the Cabinet Affairs Office, which issued a forwarding letter to the EFCC. The letter, he noted, was signed by a Deputy Director, A.M. Oyinoye.

Okoli further clarified that it is standard practice for the Cabinet Affairs Office to extract relevant portions of FEC minutes after each meeting and distribute them to concerned ministries, departments, and agencies.

He told the court that he personally handled the EFCC’s request, collated the documents, and ensured their dispatch to the anti-graft agency.

During the proceedings, the witness identified and confirmed documents admitted as Exhibits 3C and 3E as those processed and forwarded in response to the EFCC’s request.

Onwuegbuzie adjourned the matter until April 30, 2026, for the continuation of cross-examination of the witness.