The long-running EFCC trial against Dubai-based social media personality Ismaila Mustapha, known as Mompha, has reached a turning point: Justice Mojisola Dada of the Lagos State Special Offences Court in Ikeja has reserved judgment until October 15, 2026, in the alleged N6 billion money laundering case.
The ruling caps a trial that has dragged on for more than four years, marked by repeated adjournments, a failed bid to quash the charges, and a defendant who has spent much of the proceedings trying his luck in absentia.
Mompha and his company, Ismalob Global Investment Limited, were first arraigned on January 12, 2022, on an eight-count charge bordering on conspiracy to launder funds allegedly obtained through unlawful activities, retention of proceeds of criminal conduct, failure to disclose assets, and possession of documents containing pretence. He pleaded not guilty to all counts at the time and has maintained that position throughout.
The case traces back even further than the 2022 arraignment. Mompha was first picked up by the EFCC in 2019 at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja over suspected laundering of funds and was later granted bail after arraignment before a Federal High Court in Lagos, only to be re-arrested in 2022 on fresh charges tied to his company.
The EFCC has alleged that in 2016, Mompha; an associate identified as Ahmadu Mohammed, who remains at large; and Ismalob Global Investment Limited conspired to conduct financial transactions totaling N5.99 billion to promote unlawful activities, specifically obtaining money by false pretence.
The trial reached a turning point on November 4, 2025, when Justice Dada dismissed a no-case submission filed by Mompha’s defence team, ruling that the prosecution had established a prima facie case and ordering the defendants to open their defence.
That submission had come after prosecution counsel S. I. Suleiman called five witnesses, including investigators and bank compliance officers, before closing the case, with Mompha’s lawyer, Kolawole Salami, arguing that none of the evidence linked his client to the alleged offences. The court was unconvinced.
The prosecution’s case was bolstered by a report admitted into evidence from the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation, which alleged that Mompha’s iPhone had been used to transmit account details abroad and attempt fund transfers.
Rather than comply, Mompha’s legal team sought to challenge the ruling itself. At a resumed hearing, Salami informed the court that his client was dissatisfied with Justice Dada’s decision and was seeking leave to appeal, prompting a sharp rebuke from EFCC counsel Suleiman Suleiman, who noted that the case had been pending since 2021 and that the defence had been given ample time to prepare. The court reportedly cautioned against delay tactics.
The financial scale of the allegations against Mompha has also grown more granular as the trial has progressed. The EFCC has identified sums totaling over N6.5 billion allegedly laundered by the defendant, including the headline figure of N5,998,884,653.18 alongside smaller sums of N32 million, N120 million, and N15,960,000, while also accusing him of concealing his interest in expensive wristwatches and other movable assets valued at more than N70 million.
Investigators have also linked him to transfers allegedly made to a suspect identified as Olayinka Jimoh, known as “Nappy Boy,” and to a record label.
Mompha himself has been conspicuously absent from much of the recent proceedings, with reports indicating he has been tried in absentia after jumping bail. Known for a flamboyant online persona built around luxury cars and designer fashion, he has consistently denied wrongdoing, insisting that his fortune was legitimately earned through a foreign exchange and bureau de change business, and has accused the EFCC of using his prosecution for publicity.
With judgment now reserved for October 15, 2026, the case is set to deliver one of the more closely watched verdicts in Nigeria’s ongoing crackdown on high-profile financial crime, testing both the EFCC’s evidence-gathering and the limits of a defence strategy built largely on procedural challenges and delay.
WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW
After more than four years of legal wrangling, the Mompha money laundering saga now hinges on one date: October 15, 2026, when Justice Mojisola Dada will deliver judgment on whether the EFCC has proven its N6 billion case against him.
The court has already found a prima facie case against Mompha, rejecting his bid to have the charges thrown out, and he has since been tried in absentia after jumping bail rather than mounting a defence.
With the EFCC’s evidence including FBI-linked findings and detailed financial records, the upcoming ruling will determine whether years of allegations translate into a conviction or a vindication for one of Nigeria’s most prominent financial crime defendants.
