Justice Jude Onwuegbuzie of the Federal High Court, sitting in Apo, Abuja, on Wednesday, July 16, 2025, admitted additional evidence from the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, against a former Minister of Power and Steel, Olu Agunloye.

Agunloye is facing prosecution by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC on seven-count charges, bordering on official corruption and fraudulent award of Mambilla Power Project contract to the tune of $6billion (Six Billion US Dollars).

The additional evidence are an investigation report of the Mambila HydroElectric Power Project, the defendant awarded to Sunrise Power &Transmission Company Limited and a warrant of arrest on Jide Sotinri. They were marked “Exhibit EFCC R and S.”

During the day’s proceedings, Agunloye through his counsel, Adeola Adedikpe, SAN informed the court of his application for the release of his passport to enable him travel abroad for medical evaluation.

Responding to the application, prosecution counsel, M.K Hussain asked the court for more time to enable him study the application and file his reply.

The judge adjourned till Thursday, July 17, 2025 for the the hearing of the overseas medical trip application.

1.THE HONOURABLE COURT DECLARED THAT BY VIRTUE OF S.7 4TH SCHEDULE OF THE 1999 CONSTITUTION OF THE FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF NIGERIA (AS AMENDED) IT IS ONLY AND ONLY THE MBAITOLI LOCAL GOVERNMENT COUNCIL (NOT IMO STATE GOVERNMENT OR ITS MINISTRY OF COMMERCE,TRADE & INVESTMENT OR ANY OF ITS AGENCIES)THAT HAS THE EXCLUSIVE CONSTITUTIONAL POWERS TO ESTABLISH,DESIGN, PACELATE,BUILD MANAGE, CONTROL, ISSUE ALLOCATION PAPERS AND COLLECT REVENUE AT IMO MODERN INTERNATIONAL MARKET EGBEADA/UBOMMIRI.

2.THE INVASION AND FORCEFUL TAKE OVER OF THE ABOVE MENTIONED MARKET BY IMO STATE GOVERNMENT THROUGH ITS THEN MINISTRY OF NON FORMAL SECTOR AND MARKET DEVELOPMENT IN THE YEAR 2020 AND THE SUBSEQUENT ALLOCATIONS AND OUTRIGHT RESELLING OF LOCK UP SHOPS,OPEN SHADES/STALLS AND SPACE/PLOTS OF LAND BY THE SAID MINISTRY TO OCCUPANTS AT THE SAID MARKET (PHASE 1 & 2 AND ANNEX) FROM 2020 TILL DATE IN CONNIVANCE WITH SUCCESSIVE MBAITOLI COUNCIL ADMINISTRATIONS HAS BEEN SET ASIDE AND SAME DECLARED UNLAWFUL, UNCONSTITUTIONAL, ILLEGAL,NULL AND VOID AB INITIO BY THE HONOURABLE COURT.

3.ALL ALLOCATION PAPERS AND OUTRIGHT RESELLING OF LOCK UP SHOPS,OPEN SHADES,OPEN SPACE/PLOTS OF LANDS AT THE ABOVE MENTIONED MARKET BY SUCCESSIVE ADMINISTRATION OF MBAITOLI LOCAL GOVERNMENT COUNCIL AFTER 2019 HAS BEEN SET ASIDE AND SAME DECLARED ILLEGAL, UNLAWFUL, UNCONSTITUTIONAL,NULL AND VOID AB INITIO BY THE HONOURABLE COURT. (Meaning if you are an occupant of lock up shop,open stalls/ shades,space/plots of land at the said market(phase 1 and 2 and annex) and your allocation paper was issued to you after 2019 by either Mbaitoli Local Government or Imo State Government,you are nothing but an ILLEGAL OCCUPANT.Only those with allocation papers from Mbaitoli Local Government Council BEFORE 2019 are survivals of this landmark judgment).

4.THE DEFENDANTS IN THE SAID JUDGMENT ARE RESTRAINED BY THE HONOURABLE COURT FROM USING THE POLICE TO OBSTRUCT,HARRASS OR ARREST OR INTIMIDATE THE PLAINTIFFS IN THE COURSE OF ENFORCEMENT OF THE SAID LANDMARK JUDGMENT OF COURT.

5.THE COURT HAS ORDERED AND DIRECTED THE COMMISSIONER OF POLICE IMO STATE POLICE COMMAND AND THE NIGERIAN POLICE FORCE HEADED BY THE INSPECTOR GENERAL OF POLICE TO ASSIST THE PLAINTIFFS TOWARDS ENSURING THE FULL ENFORCEMENT OF THE SAID LANDMARK JUDGMENT OF COURT.

6.3RD,6TH AND 7TH DEFENDANTS IN THE SAID JUDGMENT TO JOINTLY AND SEVERALLY PAY THE SUM OF N1MILLION NAIRA COST OF LITIGATION TO THE PLAINTIFF COUNSEL IN THE SAID JUDGMENT OF COURT.

7.THE COURT UPHOLDS AND AUTHENTICATES THE ORIGINAL DESIGN/PURPOSE CLAUSE OF THE SAID MARKET ESTATE PROJECT BY MBAITOLI LOCAL GOVERNMENT COUNCIL ADMINISTRATION IN 2018 AND NON OTHER EITHER BY THE MBAITOLI LOCAL GOVERNMENT COUNCIL OR IMO STATE GOVERNMENT AFTER 2019.

8.THE COURT DIRECTS ALL ILLEGAL OCCUPANTS WITH ILLEGAL AND FRAUDULENT ALLOCATION PAPERS OF LOCK UP SHOPS,OPEN SHADES,OPEN SPACE/PLOTS OF LANDS AT THE SAID MARKET TO VACATE WITHIN 48 HOURS OF THE JUDGMENT OF COURT.

ABOVE IS FOR YOUR INFORMATION:
This summary presentation is for all doubting Thomases who may be risking various jail terms for disobedience to the LANDMARK JUDGMENT OF THIS HUNOURABLE COUR5 THAT HAS RETURNED FINANCIAL/REVENUE COLLECTION AUTONOMY TO MBAITOLI LOCAL GOVERNMENT.

CONGRATULATIONS TO NDI MBAITOLI.

STATEHOUSE PRESS RELEASE

PRESIDENT TINUBU APPOINTS MUHAMMAD BABANGIDA CHAIRMAN OF THE BANK OF AGRICULTURE, OTHERS AS CHAIRMEN AND HEADS OF GOVERNMENT AGENCIES

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has appointed Muhammad Babangida, the son of the former military President, as chairman of the revamped Bank of Agriculture.

President Tinubu approved the appointment today, along with seven others. Some of them will serve as chairmen or directors-general of Federal agencies.

Muhammad Babangida, 53, is an alumnus of the European University in Montreux, Switzerland, where he earned a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration and a Master’s degree in Public Relations and Business Communication. He later attended Harvard Business School’s Executive Program on Corporate Governance in 2002.

Others appointed by the President are:

Lydia Kalat Musa (Kaduna State) Chairman, Oil and Gas Free Zone Authority (OGFZA).

Jamilu Wada Aliyu (Kano State) Chairman, National Educational Research and Development Council (NERDC).

The Hon. Yahuza Ado Inuwa (Kano State) is the Standard Organisation of Nigeria (SON) chairman.

Sanusi Musa (SAN, Kano State) is the Chairman of the Institute of Peace and Conflict Resolution(IPCR).

Prof. Al-Mustapha Alhaji Aliyu (Sokoto State) is the Director-General of the Directorate of Technical Cooperation in Africa (DTCA).

Sanusi Garba Rikiji (Zamfara State) is the Director-General of the Nigerian Office for Trade Negotiations (NOTN).

Mrs Tomi Somefun (Oyo State) is the Managing Director of the National Hydro-Electric Power Areas Development Commission (HYPPADEC).

Dr Abdulmumini Mohammed Aminu-Zaria (Kaduna State) has been appointed Executive Director of the Nigerian Integrated Water Resources Management Commission (NIWRMC).

Special Adviser to the President
(Information & Strategy)
July 18, 2025