Mkpoikana Udoma
Port Harcourt — Fresh evidence was presented yesterday in the trial of former Minister of Power, Saleh Mamman, before Justice Maryann Anineh of the FCT High Court, Maitama, Abuja.
Mamman and seven co-defendants, including Mustapha Abubakar Bida, Joseph Omotayo Adewunmi, Ben Nsikak, Stephen Ojo, Oladipo Adebowale, Michael Achua, and Ogunjobi Olusila, are standing trial on a nine-count charge of conspiracy, false pretence, and intent to defraud involving N31,070,541,349.64.
The first prosecution witness, Umar Abba, a Compliance Officer at Zenith Bank, provided documents including account opening packages, signatory mandates, transaction statements, and identification certificates linked to multiple companies allegedly involved in the fraud.
Among the firms listed were Spinhills Biz International Limited, Silverline Ocean Ventures Limited, Beaver Builders Limited, Gurupche Business Enterprise, Breathable Investment Limited, First-class Construction Project Limited, Royal Perimeter Ventures, Dannywest Limited, Dorino Bright Limited, and Sipikin Global Ventures Limited.
Testifying under the guidance of prosecution counsel, Rotimi Oyedepo, SAN, Abba explained that around March 2025, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, requested the documents, which were generated from the bank’s computer systems and supplied to the Commission. The evidence was tendered and marked Exhibit A1-A4, B1-B4, C1-C4 with no objection from the defense.
During cross-examination, Abba admitted he did not know Mamman personally and confirmed that EFCC letters requesting account details were not copied to account holders due to legal and banking restrictions.
Earlier, the court struck out a jurisdiction challenge filed by the second defendant, ruling that an application for stay of proceedings in a criminal matter cannot be entertained.
The defendant subsequently sought leave to travel for Hajj, which the court granted, ordering him to return by March 23, 2026, and to surrender his international passport by March 24, 2026.
Justice Anineh adjourned the trial to March 25, 2026, for continuation, signaling a critical phase in the high-profile N31 billion fraud case that has drawn national attention to allegations of corruption in Nigeria’s power sector.
