Nigerian social media personality Ismaila Mustapha, popularly known as Mompha, has been discharged by an Ikeja Special Offences Court after Justice Mojisola Dada struck out all eight counts of alleged money laundering involving approximately ₦6 billion.
The ruling was delivered on Tuesday, November 10, 2026, after the judge held that continuing the prosecution in the Ikeja court amounted to an abuse of court process because a similar case was already pending before the Federal High Court in Lagos.
The judge described the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission’s (EFCC) decision to pursue the related cases in separate courts as forum shopping.
The development brings an end to the eight-count proceedings against Mompha and his company, Ismalob Global Investment Limited, before the Ikeja court. However, it does not automatically mean that the separate Federal High Court case has been dismissed.
Here are seven important details about the court’s decision and the money laundering case.
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1. Court discharges Mompha over alleged ₦6bn money laundering
Justice Mojisola Dada of the Ikeja Special Offences Court struck out all eight charges against Mompha and discharged him.
The judge ruled that the prosecution before her court could not continue while a similar matter involving the defendant was already pending before the Federal High Court in Lagos.
According to reports by The Guardian, the court considered the separate proceedings an abuse of judicial process.
The decision followed a lengthy trial that began after Mompha’s arraignment in January 2022.
2. Judge accuses EFCC of forum shopping
A major issue in the ruling was the existence of another case involving Mompha before the Federal High Court in Lagos.
Justice Dada held that pursuing similar allegations in different courts amounted to forum shopping and an abuse of court process.
Forum shopping generally refers to the practice of pursuing legal proceedings in different courts in a way that may create an unfair or improper advantage.
The judge consequently struck out the entire eight-count charge before the Ikeja court.
3. EFCC arraigned Mompha and his company in 2022
The EFCC arraigned Mompha and his company, Ismalob Global Investment Limited, on January 12, 2022.
The eight-count charge included allegations of conspiracy to launder funds suspected to have been obtained through unlawful activities, retaining proceeds of crime, laundering illicit funds and failing to disclose certain assets.
Mompha pleaded not guilty to the allegations.
The case also involved another individual, Ahmadu Mohammed, who was reportedly still at large.
4. EFCC alleged financial transactions worth nearly ₦6bn
One of the major allegations against Mompha involved financial transactions valued at ₦5,998,884,653.18.
The EFCC alleged that Mompha, his company and Ahmadu Mohammed conspired in 2016 to conduct the transactions to promote unlawful activities, including obtaining money by false pretences.
The commission also brought allegations relating to the retention and laundering of proceeds of criminal conduct.
These were allegations presented by the prosecution and were not findings of guilt against Mompha.
5. Prosecution presented six witnesses
During the trial, the EFCC, through its prosecution counsel, Suleiman Suleiman, called six witnesses and tendered documentary exhibits in support of its allegations.
The prosecution sought to establish the alleged financial transactions and Mompha’s connection to them.
However, the defence did not call any witnesses in response to the prosecution’s evidence.
6. Mompha reportedly stopped attending court proceedings
During the proceedings, Mompha was reportedly granted bail on the condition that he deposited his international passport.
However, reports said he subsequently stopped attending court sessions.
His absence led to further developments in the case, including proceedings conducted in his absence.
The latest ruling, however, focused on the issue of the overlapping cases and the abuse of judicial process.
7. Separate Federal High Court case remains an important issue
Although Mompha has been discharged from the eight-count case at the Ikeja Special Offences Court, the ruling was based on the existence of similar proceedings before the Federal High Court in Lagos.
This distinction is important because striking out the Ikeja charges does not, by itself, establish that the separate Federal High Court proceedings have ended.
The decision therefore represents a major development in Mompha’s legal battles, but the status and outcome of the other case remain separate matters.
Conclusion
Mompha has secured a major legal reprieve after Justice Mojisola Dada struck out all eight counts of alleged ₦6 billion money laundering against him at the Ikeja Special Offences Court.
The judge ruled that the EFCC’s decision to pursue similar proceedings in two courts amounted to an abuse of judicial process.
While the ruling ends the prosecution before the Ikeja court, attention now turns to the separate case at the Federal High Court in Lagos.
