The news was shared on Friday via a video posted on X by Bashir Ahmad, former Special Assistant on Digital Communications. The video showed Buhari disembarking from an aircraft upon his return from Paris. Ahmad captioned the video, “Former President Muhammadu Buhari has returned to Nigeria after defending the country before the ICC in connection with the $2.3 billion arbitration case filed by Sunrise Power.”
The arbitration relates to a 2003 agreement for the construction of the 3,050MW Mambilla power plant in Taraba State, valued at $6 billion. Sunrise Power initiated legal proceedings in 2017, seeking $2.354 billion for an alleged breach of contract. The company is also demanding $400 million as part of a 2020 settlement agreement it claims Nigeria failed to honour.
The case has drawn significant attention, with former President Olusegun Obasanjo also reportedly traveling to France to testify. Obasanjo has denied authorizing the then-Minister of Power and Steel, Olu Agunloye, to commit Nigeria to the $6 billion contract. Similarly, in February 2024, Buhari maintained that he never approved any settlement agreement with Sunrise Power regarding the project.
While the presidency acknowledged the ICC proceedings, it dismissed reports suggesting Buhari was compelled to testify. Officials insist that all testimonies in Nigeria’s defence were given voluntarily.
