# Court strikes out EFCC’s N6bn money laundering charge

> Lagos court dismisses EFCC’s N6bn money laundering case against social media star Mompha.
- Title: Court strikes out EFCC’s N6bn money laundering charge
- Summary: Lagos court dismisses EFCC’s N6bn money laundering case against social media star Mompha.
- Keywords: lagos state special offences court, efcc, mompha, ismalob global investment limited, money laundering, nigeria, court process, abuse of court process, Premium Times Nigeria
- Source: Premium Times Nigeria — https://premiumtimesng.com/news/top-news/924296-court-strikes-out-efccs-n6bn-money-laundering-charge-against-mompha.html
- Author: Emmanuel Agbo
- Published: 2026-11-10T21:16:43+00:00
- Read time: 2 min
- Topics: lagos state special offences court, efcc, mompha, ismalob global investment limited, money laundering, nigeria, court process, abuse of court process, news, politics
## Court strikes out EFCC’s N6bn charge
Lagos State Special Offences Court dismissed EFCC’s N6 billion money laundering charge against social media personality Ismaila Mustapha, known as Mompha, and his company Ismalob Global Investment Limited.
## Judge rules EFCC abused court process
Trial judge Mojisola Dada struck out the charge, ruling that EFCC’s decision to prosecute while a related case was pending before the Federal High Court amounted to abuse of court process.
## Judge calls EFCC forum shopping
The judge faulted EFCC for pursuing two cases simultaneously, describing the action as forum shopping.
## Eighth count questioned by judge
She questioned the inclusion of the eighth count in the charge, which she described as an afterthought intended to distinguish the Ikeja case from the Federal High Court case.
## Mompha disclosed assets in 2019
On the allegation that Mompha failed to disclose some assets, the judge noted he had disclosed them in an extrajudicial statement on 22 October 2019, two days after submitting an asset declaration form.
## EFCC arraigned Mompha in 2022
The EFCC arraigned Mompha and his company on 12 January 2022 on an eight-count charge bordering on conspiracy to launder proceeds of unlawful activities.
## EFCC alleges N5.99bn transactions
The commission alleged that Mompha, Ahmadu Mohammed, and the company conspired in 2016 to conduct financial transactions worth N5,998,884,653.18 to promote unlawful activities.
## Defendants pleaded not guilty
The defendants pleaded not guilty to the charges and stopped attending court after being granted bail.
## Defence urged discharge
The defence called no witnesses but urged the court to discharge the defendants, arguing that the prosecution was an abuse of court process.
## Court dismissed no-case submission
In November 2025, the court dismissed a no-case submission filed by Mompha and his company, ruling that EFCC had established a prima facie case.
## Defendants challenged ruling
The defendants subsequently challenged the ruling at the Court of Appeal.
## Final addresses filed in June
The prosecution and defence adopted their final written addresses on 30 June, after which the judge reserved judgement.
## EFCC filed separate case
The EFCC had also filed a separate money laundering case against Mompha and his company before the Federal High Court in Lagos, accusing them of using company accounts to retain about N32.
## Related case central to decision
The existence of the related proceedings before the Federal High Court was central to the judge’s decision to strike out the case before her court.
## Key takeaway

Lagos State Special Offences Court ruled EFCC’s prosecution of Mompha and his company while a related case was pending constituted abuse of court process.