Two courtrooms at opposite ends of Nigeria’s capital on Monday reflected the same troubling pattern: stalled proceedings in one of the country’s most controversial infrastructure disputes—the $6 billion Mambilla Hydroelectric Power Project.
Both matters involving former Minister of Power, Dr. Olu Agunloye, and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) were adjourned after the anti-graft agency failed to meet procedural requirements, further prolonging a legal battle that has spanned years.
At the Federal High Court, Maitama, proceedings in Agunloye v. EFCC—a ₦1 billion libel and defamation suit—were expected to advance with the adoption of written addresses. Agunloye is seeking damages over EFCC statements to the public alleging that he had been charged for a $6 billion fraud and grouping him alongside former governors and ex-ministers accused of looting public funds.
Although the court sat at 9:00 a.m., the case was not called until about 10:30 a.m., only for proceedings to stall. The EFCC failed to file its written address within the time prescribed by the court and did not properly regularise the default. The agency had also yet to respond to the claimant’s address already on record.
Counsel to the EFCC pleaded for more time to complete all outstanding filings. The court granted the request, allowing the commission three days to comply, and adjourned the matter until April 20, 2026.
Barely hours later, a similar setback unfolded at the FCT High Court, Apo, where the criminal trial EFCC v. Agunloye was scheduled to continue. The court, which sat at noon, called the case at about 12:40 p.m., with the cross-examination of a prosecution witness expected to proceed.
Once again, the matter could not move forward. The EFCC failed to produce Prosecution Witness Three (PW3), Mr. Umar Babangida, who was expected to testify. Prosecutors told the court that the witness had taken ill again and was “presently hospitalised.”
With no witness available, the presiding judge adjourned the trial to February 17 and 18, 2026, fixing sittings for 11:00 a.m. and 12:00 p.m. respectively.
The twin adjournments added yet another delay to litigation central to Nigeria’s unresolved Mambilla project—an affair that has triggered international arbitration claims, intense political controversy, and sustained public scrutiny.
In a moment that briefly lightened the tense atmosphere, members of the defence team and courtroom observers openly appealed for prayers for the speedy recovery and discharge of the absent witness. Some present, jokingly described by onlookers as defendants and their associates, were also heard urging that even those of “not-so-good intentions” be allowed to join the prayers.
Behind the humour, however, lay deeper concern over whether repeated procedural lapses and adjournments are eroding public confidence in the handling of one of Nigeria’s most consequential corruption-related cases.
For now, both courts have ruled—not on the substance of the allegations, but on process.
And as the legal wrangling over Mambilla continues, justice once again waits.
Mambilla Legal Battles Stall as Abuja Courts Adjourn Agunloye–EFCC Cases
