The Lagos State Special Offences Court sitting in Ikeja has dismissed a no-case submission filed by social media personality Ismaila Mustapha, popularly known as Mompha, and another defendant in his ongoing fraud trial.
Delivering the ruling, Justice Mojisola Dada held that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) had established a prima facie case against the defendants, requiring them to open their defence.
According to a statement posted on the EFCC’s official X (formerly Twitter) account on Tuesday, the court ruled that there was sufficient evidence linking the defendants to the charges brought against them.
Mompha and his company, Ismalob Global Investment Limited, are being prosecuted by the EFCC for alleged money laundering and operating an unlicensed bureau de change.
The court has adjourned the case to January 27 and 28, 2026, for continuation of the hearing.
Mompha’s trial has dragged on for several years, with multiple legal twists. The EFCC initially accused him of laundering ₦32.9 billion, before filing a fresh eight-count charge involving about ₦6 billion.
The charges border on conspiracy to launder funds obtained through unlawful activity, retention of criminal proceeds, and failure to disclose assets.
In January 2022, Mompha was granted bail in the sum of ₦200 million with two sureties in like sum. However, the bail was revoked in June 2022 after he failed to appear in court, leading to the issuance of a bench warrant for his arrest.
He was later declared wanted by the EFCC in August 2022, and in May 2023, the commission announced his re-arrest in collaboration with international partners over alleged ₦6 billion money laundering.
By July 2024, court proceedings revealed that more than ₦30 billion, suspected to be proceeds of crime, had reportedly passed through his accounts.
During earlier hearings, the court admitted into evidence a report from the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), which alleged that Mompha’s iPhone was used to send account details abroad and attempt fund transfers.
Mompha has repeatedly denied all allegations, accusing the EFCC of using his case to generate publicity.