The sole witness of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) in the defamation suit brought against it by former Minister of Power and Steel, Dr Olu Agunloye, on Thursday told the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) that contrary to the publication of the commission on its official website, there was no $6billion charge against the former minister in the criminal charge filed against him (Agunloye) before the FCT High Court, sitting at Apo, Abuja.
The former minister had in his writ of summons in the defamation suit he brought before the court against EFCC, marked FCT/HC/CV/1199/2024, filed on his behalf and argued by his counsel, Adeola Adedipe SAN, claimed that EFCC has damaged his good name and dragged his integrity into murky waters, alleging him to be a corrupt and fraudulent individual through a post published on its official website and other allied online platforms, with the caption, ‘EFCC arraigns Agunloye over $6billion fraud’.
He, therefore, sought a declaration of the court that the post is false and defamatory of him.
Agunloye also sought an order for EFCC to retract the defamatory publication against him and tender unreserved apologies.
He further sought the payment of compensation of N1billion as general and exemplary damage to him.
At the resumed hearing in the case today, EFCC witness, Umar Hussain Babangida, an Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) who is an investigator with EFCC, while being cross examined by Adeola Adedipe SAN told the court that he was a witness in the criminal case before Justice Jude Onwuegbuzie, sitting at Apo, Abuja, which he informed the court had not been concluded.
Babangida told the court that he was aware that Agunloye filed the defamatory suit against EFCC, claiming that his image had been lowered in the public as a result of the EFCC’s publication on its official website.
When Adedipe showed the witness the criminal charge against Agunloye to show the court where $6billion was contained, Babangida told the court that there was nothing like that in the charge.
‘There is nothing like $6billion in the criminal charge against the claimant (Agunloye),’ the witness told the court.
Despite the fact that the witness initially told the court that he did not know if the contentious publication, with the caption, ‘EFCC arraigns Agunloye over $6billion fraud’, is an EFCC publication, when confronted with Paragraph 29 of his witness’s statement on oath, Babangida retracted and confirmed to the court the said publication was from the commission’s media department.
According to him, ‘I don’t know if Exhibit C (the publication) is an EFCC publication. I am an investigator, not in the media department. The publication is from the EFCC media department.’
Earlier, Babangida had, while being led in his evidence-in-chief by the counsel for the commission, O.S. Ajayi, adopted his witness statement on oath and urged the court to accept it as his oral evidence in the case.
After giving his testimony in the case, Justice Peter Kekemeke, adjourned to February 2, 2026 for adoption of parties’ final written addresses.
Agunloye is being prosecuted by EFCC, on behalf of the Federal Government, on an amended seven-count charge, marked FCT/HC/CR/617/2023, bordering on forgery, disobeying presidential directive and receiving gratification.
The charge was filed on the award of the controversial Mambilla hydropower project in Taraba State to Sunrise Power and Transmission Company Limited (SPTCL).
EFCC alleged that the former minister awarded contract for the Mambilla project on May 22, 2003 to SPTCL without any budgetary provision, approval and cash backing.
The commission also, among others, alleged that the former minister received the total sum of N5.212million from SPTCL and Leno Adesanya, through Jide Abiodun Sotirin through his (Agunloye’s) Guaranty Trust Bank (GTB) account, for conveying the Federal Government’s approval for the construction of the Mambilla power project in favour of SPTCL while serving as minister.
Agunloye, however, pleaded not guilty to the charge preferred against him by EFCC.