Judge throws out EFCC's N6bn laundering case against Mompha

Justice Mojisola Dada of the Lagos State Special Offences Court in Ikeja threw out the charge on Tuesday, ruling that prosecuting Ismaila Mustapha — known as Mompha — and Ismalob Global Investment Limited while a related case sat before the Federal High Court amounted to an abuse of court process. She accused the EFCC of forum shopping by running both cases at once, and singled out the eighth count as an afterthought designed to make the Ikeja case look different from the one at the Federal High Court.

On the claim that Mompha hid assets, Dada found no intent to conceal. He had disclosed the recovered items in an extrajudicial statement on 22 October 2019, just two days after filing an asset declaration form.

The EFCC arraigned Mompha and his company on 12 January 2022 on eight counts covering conspiracy to launder proceeds of unlawful activities, retention of proceeds of crime, failure to disclose assets and possession of documents containing false pretences. Prosecutors alleged he, Ahmadu Mohammed — said to be at large — and the company conspired in 2016 on transactions worth N5,998,884,653.18 to promote unlawful activities, including obtaining money by false pretences. All defendants pleaded not guilty.

Prosecution counsel Suleiman Suleiman called six witnesses and tendered documentary exhibits. Mompha stopped showing up in court after getting bail and was represented by lawyers Kolawole Salami and Ademola Adefolaju. The defence called no witnesses and pressed for discharge, arguing the prosecution was an abuse of process.

In November 2025, Dada dismissed a no-case submission from Mompha and his company, holding that the EFCC had established a prima facie case for them to answer. The defendants took that ruling to the Court of Appeal. Both sides adopted final written addresses on 30 June, after which the judge reserved judgement.

The EFCC's separate Federal High Court case accuses Mompha and his company of using company accounts to retain about N32.9 billion suspected to be proceeds of unlawful activities. That charge was first filed in 2019 and later amended. Mompha has faced multiple EFCC prosecutions since 2019 over allegations of laundering billions of naira for cybercrime syndicates and using companies to hide illicit funds, and has consistently denied the allegations.