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EFCC opens special investigation into Mambilla transactions after ICC raises concerns over $500,000 paid to Atiku’s former wife, Jennifer Douglas.
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Tribunal says payment raised “significant red flags”, citing its timing and Adesanya’s relationship with Atiku before Sunrise’s bid for the project.
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Former officials Atiku, Malami, Agunloye, Sambo Dasuki, Yola and Awosika feature in transactions and dealings examined by the tribunal.
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EFCC team led by Olukoyede reviews financial trails and property acquisitions as commission considers questioning suspects and possible forfeiture.
September 22, (THEWILL) – The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has opened a fresh probe into the controversial Mambilla Hydroelectric Power Project, with a $500,000 payment made by project promoter Leno Adesanya to Jennifer Douglas, former wife of ex-Vice President Atiku Abubakar, emerging as one of the key transactions under scrutiny.
The payment, made in January 2003 from the Swiss account of Adesanya’s company, China Castle Investments Limited, to Douglas’s account in the United States, was examined by an International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) tribunal in its final determination of the long-running dispute over the 3,960-megawatt Mambilla project in Taraba State.
The tribunal found that the circumstances surrounding the payment raised “significant red flags”, particularly its timing, Adesanya’s relationship with Atiku and his efforts to secure the Mambilla project.
THEWILL learnt that following the release of the ICC award, the EFCC has constituted a special team to examine the financial transactions and relationships disclosed in the proceedings.
The team, being supervised by the EFCC Chairman, Ola Olukoyede, is also tracing properties suspected to be connected to funds arising from the transactions.
A senior EFCC source familiar with the development confirmed that the process was already underway.
“Yes, the process is on”, the source said, adding that investigators were examining the 620-page final award, alongside the evidence and proceedings that culminated in the tribunal’s decision.
Why $500,000 Payment Is Central
The payment to Douglas is attracting attention because of its timing. Adesanya transferred the $500,000 in January 2003, only months before Olu Agunloye, who was then Minister of Power and Steel, purportedly awarded Sunrise Power a Build-Operate-Transfer contract for the Mambilla project.
The tribunal examined the payment against the backdrop of Adesanya’s relationship with Atiku and his efforts to obtain rights to develop the massive power project.
Adesanya offered an explanation for the transaction during the proceedings. The tribunal, however, noted that neither Atiku nor Douglas submitted a witness statement or declaration supporting the explanation.
It subsequently characterised the circumstances surrounding the payment as raising “significant red flags”.
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Atiku has rejected any suggestion that he was indicted by the tribunal, maintaining that he was not responsible for awarding the Mambilla contract.
The ICC proceedings themselves were arbitration proceedings arising from the commercial dispute and did not constitute a criminal trial. The EFCC’s investigation will therefore have to independently establish whether the payment had any connection with the award of the Mambilla contract or breached Nigerian law.
$1.74m Payment To Dasuki’s Son Also Under Probe
The EFCC is also expected to scrutinise a $1.74 million payment made by Adesanya to Abubakar Dasuki, son of former National Security Adviser, Sambo Dasuki, in December 2014.
During the arbitration, Adesanya described the money as a loan. The tribunal questioned the explanation, noting the absence of a loan agreement or other documentation establishing the nature, terms and accounting of the transaction.
It said the circumstances surrounding the payment raised “considerable red flags”.
Sambo Dasuki was also mentioned in the proceedings in connection with the transaction involving his son.
Malami, Agunloye, Yola, Awosika In Focus
Former Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, is another prominent figure whose dealings are expected to attract the attention of investigators.
Malami featured prominently in the tribunal’s consideration of a 2020 settlement agreement between Nigeria and Sunrise.
Nigeria had alleged during the proceedings that the former AGF acted against the country’s interest and entered into improper arrangements with Adesanya.
The tribunal examined his dealings with the businessman and the circumstances surrounding the settlement.
Agunloye, meanwhile, is under scrutiny over both the original Mambilla contract and a payment of about ₦5.2 million made to him in 2019 through an intermediary. He was Minister of Power and Steel when Sunrise was purportedly awarded the original BOT contract in May 2003.
The tribunal considered the timing and circumstances of the 2019 payment in relation to the broader allegations concerning Adesanya’s relationship with officials connected to the project.
Agunloye is already facing separate criminal proceedings in Nigeria arising from the Mambilla project. He has pleaded not guilty to charges including forgery, receiving gratification and disobedience to presidential directives.
Yola, who represented the Ministry of Justice during negotiations around the 2012 General Project Execution Agreement and related settlement documents, was linked in the arbitration proceedings to an approximately $50,000 payment made by Adesanya through Lutin Investment in 2015.
Awosika, who participated in negotiations concerning the project while serving as Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Power, was mentioned in connection with three payments totalling about $135,000 made by Lutin Investments to a company belonging to her son.
According to the EFCC source, investigators are looking beyond the individual payments. The team is examining the relationships among the parties, the movement of funds through companies and intermediaries and properties that may have been acquired with proceeds connected to the transactions.
Background
The Mambilla Hydroelectric Power Project is one of Nigeria’s largest proposed power-generation projects, with a planned capacity of 3,960 megawatts.
Located in Taraba State, the project has remained stalled for decades amid contractual disputes, negotiations and litigation involving the Federal Government and private interests.
The dispute dates back to a 2003 agreement for the development of the proposed hydropower project in Taraba State. Sunrise Power and Transmission Company Limited and its promoter, Leno Adesanya, subsequently commenced international arbitration proceedings against Nigeria in 2017, seeking about $2.354 billion over alleged contractual breaches.
The dispute was further complicated by a 2020 settlement agreement under which Sunrise sought another $400 million, while the validity and authorisation of both the original contract and settlement became contested issues.
Former Presidents Olusegun Obasanjo and Muhammadu Buhari both denied authorising the respective agreements at the centre of the dispute.
The ICC tribunal eventually dismissed claims by Sunrise Power and Transmission Company Limited, bringing a major phase of the long-running arbitration to a close.
In its final award issued on September 17, 2026, the tribunal rejected Sunrise Power’s claim that Nigeria breached its contractual obligations under a settlement agreement and an addendum entered into by the parties. It also dismissed the company’s demand for $400 million, comprising a $200 million settlement sum and a further $200 million default payment.
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