Court Clears MTN Former Employees and Contractor in High-Profile Fraud Case
In a significant legal development, Justice Ismaila Ijelu of the Lagos High Court in Ikeja has discharged and acquitted a contractor and two former MTN Nigeria staff members accused of conspiracy and obtaining money by false pretence.
The court ruling on December 1, 2025 marked the end of a prolonged legal battle that involved allegations of N1 billion fraud against the defendants: contractor Mutairu Babatunde and former MTN employees Victor Akintunde and Gani Mustapha.
Settlement Agreement Leads to Case Termination
The case reached its conclusion after the nominal complainant, MTN Employees Multipurpose Society Limited, and all defendants resolved their dispute through a civil settlement. The parties had voluntarily executed a comprehensive settlement agreement dated August 25, 2025.
Following this agreement, terms of settlement were filed in the civil suit on September 17, 2025 before Justice Kudirat Jose of the Commercial Division of the Lagos High Court sitting in Tapa, Lagos Island. The court entered a consent judgment, effectively resolving the dispute conclusively.
Defence counsel Olalekan Ojo (SAN) and G. M. Oguntade (SAN) filed an affidavit praying the court to discontinue the case, citing the settlement between the parties. "We have written to the EFCC via a letter dated October 23, 2025 and requested the withdrawal of the prosecution as a result of the consent judgment," Ojo stated during proceedings.
Court Orders EFCC to Release Seized Assets
Justice Ijelu's ruling included comprehensive orders for the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to release all withheld assets and seized property belonging to the defendants. The court specifically ordered the immediate release of all movable and immovable property listed in the schedule of assets to the first, third, and fourth applicants.
The judge further directed that the passports of the first and second defendants, which were deposited with the Registrar of the Court as part of their bail conditions, be released to them immediately.
In a significant financial directive, the court ordered the EFCC and its appointed receiver/manager to file and render a full, accurate, and itemized account of all rents collected from the property of the first and third applicants from 2013 to date, and to pay over all such collected rents to the applicants.
EFCC counsel Babatunde Sonoiki confirmed receiving the affidavit and acknowledged that the Commission had been formally notified of the settlement, awaiting internal directives at the time of the ruling.
Justice Ijelu concluded in his ruling: "Accordingly, the court finds that there is no subsisting complaint, no outstanding dispute, and no legal foundation for continuing charge ID/355/2013. The charge is hereby dismissed, and the defendants are acquitted."
The court's orders take immediate effect unless there is a subsisting order of a court of coordinate jurisdiction restraining the release of any specific asset, providing finality to the long-standing legal matter.
