The Federal Bureau of Investigation’s (FBI) report on him and his iPhone being used for fraudulent activities was admitted as evidence in a Lagos Special Offences Court sitting in Ikeja on Monday, September 18. This prompted a response from Nigerian Instagram celebrity Ismaila Mustapha, better known by his stage name Mompha, who is based in Dubai.
According to Naija News, there have been online rumors that Mojisola Dada, the trial judge, admitted the report during Mompha’s trial in absentia on charges of alleged money laundering brought by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
Remember that Mompha and his business, Ismalob Global Investment, were charged with eight counts of laundering N6 billion by the EFCC on January 22, 2022.
When the accusations were read to him, Mompha entered a plea of not guilty to each count and was given bail; however, the bail was later revoked by the court because he failed to appear at the trial.
Sulaiman Suleiman, the attorney for the EFCC and the person who introduced FBI agent Ayorinde Solademi into evidence at the resumed trial, presented documents that included a letter from the EFCC to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) of the United States of America and a report from the Bureau.
Kolawole Salami, the defendant’s attorney, raised a concern about the documents from the US Consulate being admissible without certification.
Salami contended that the documents shouldn’t be admitted since they aren’t true copies that have been certified.
However, the trial judge disregarded Salami’s ruling and maintained the prosecution’s contention that the documents were authentic and didn’t need to be certified.
Solademi, who works at the FBI’s Legal Attache Office in Nigeria, admitted to the court during cross-examination by the defense attorney that he retrieved Mompha’s iPhone using a Faraday bag.
He claimed that the FBI’s forensic investigations showed Mompha’s iPhone had been used to communicate account information to a United Arab Emirates (UAE) phone number, look up a bank’s Swift Codes, and have a hacked Microsoft 365 account.
In response to the reports, Mompha attacked the EFCC and Justice Mosola, calling them “useless” in a post on his Instagram page.
Mompha asserted that he has no ties with the FBI and that both the EFCC and the Ikeja judge are telling lies.
The most worthless government agency in Nigeria, according to him, is the EFCC and lies na 5 and 6. The Ikeja High Court judge who is the most ineffective is Justice Mojisola Dada. Very useless group of individuals. I’m worried about FBI lies that go on and on without stopping.
