Justice Mojisola Dada of the Lagos State Special Offences Court, sitting in Ikeja, has ruled that a prima facie case has been established against Nigerian social media personality Ismaila Mustapha, popularly known as Mompha, and his co-defendant in the ongoing fraud and money laundering trial.
The ruling, announced on Tuesday, November 4, and confirmed in a post by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on its official X account, dismissed the defendants’ no-case submission, declaring that the evidence presented by the prosecution was sufficient to require them to enter a defence.
“The court finds that a prima facie case has been established against the defendants. They are therefore ordered to open their defence,” the ruling stated.
The EFCC is prosecuting Mompha alongside his company, Ismalob Global Investment Limited, on multiple counts of money laundering and operating an unlicensed bureau de change.
Justice Dada consequently adjourned the case to January 27 and 28, 2026, for continuation of the trial.
The case, one of Nigeria’s most high-profile financial crime prosecutions, has spanned several years with numerous legal developments. Mompha was initially accused of laundering ₦32.9 billion, but the charges were later streamlined into an eight-count charge involving about ₦6 billion.
The EFCC alleges that Mompha conspired to launder funds obtained through unlawful activities, retained criminal proceeds, and failed to disclose his assets.
In January 2022, the court granted him bail of ₦200 million with two sureties in like sum. However, after he failed to appear in court in June 2022, his bail was revoked, and a bench warrant was issued for his arrest. The EFCC subsequently declared him wanted in August 2022 for allegedly retaining proceeds of crime and making false asset declarations.
In May 2023, the EFCC announced that Mompha had been re-arrested in collaboration with international partners, linking him to alleged laundering of ₦6 billion. By July 2024, court proceedings revealed that over ₦30 billion, suspected to be proceeds of crime, had passed through his account.
During the trial, the court also admitted into evidence a report from the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), which alleged that Mompha’s iPhone had been used to send account details abroad and initiate international fund transfers.
Mompha, however, has consistently denied all allegations, accusing the EFCC of targeting him for publicity and insisting that the charges against him are baseless.