A Federal High Court in Abuja has fixed next month for the fresh arraignment of former Jigawa State Governor, Sule Lamido, and his two sons over alleged ₦1.3 billion money laundering charges filed by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
The case, presided over by Justice Peter Lifu, was adjourned after the defendants failed to appear in court to take their plea.
Lamido is expected to be arraigned alongside his sons, Aminu and Mustapha Lamido, who are accused of collaborating with their father in an alleged fraudulent scheme involving fictitious contract awards.
During proceedings on Friday, counsel to the defendants, Joe Agi, apologised to the court for the absence of Lamido and his sons.
He explained that the defendants reside in Kano State and were unable to attend the hearing due to the short notice given for the trial.
“The information about the trial came late, and considering that the defendants reside in Kano, they could not make it to Abuja in time,” Agi told the court.
The senior lawyer, however, assured the court that the defendants would be present on the next adjourned date.
Counsel to the EFCC, Chile Okoroma, expressed surprise at the absence of the defendants, insisting that they had been duly served with the notice of the court sitting.
Okoroma further disclosed that the anti-graft agency had written to the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court, John Tsoho, requesting that the original trial judge, Ijeoma Ojukwu, who was transferred to Calabar, be returned to Abuja to continue hearing the case.
Responding, Justice Lifu noted that the request contained in the EFCC’s letter was purely administrative and would be handled by the Chief Judge.
He subsequently fixed a date next month for the fresh arraignment of the defendants.
The EFCC had filed a 27-count charge against Lamido, his sons, and two companies — Bamaina Holdings Ltd and Speeds International Ltd — accusing them of laundering about ₦1.35 billion.
According to the anti-graft agency, the funds were allegedly diverted during Lamido’s tenure as governor through kickbacks from state government contracts.
During the trial, the EFCC called more than 16 witnesses before closing its case. The defendants subsequently filed a no-case submission, arguing that the prosecution had failed to establish sufficient evidence requiring them to open a defence.
Justice Ojukwu dismissed the application and ordered the defendants to enter their defence in November four years ago.
However, the defendants appealed the ruling, and the Court of Appeal later upheld their no-case submission, ruling that the Federal High Court in Abuja lacked territorial jurisdiction to hear the matter, stating that the trial should have taken place in Jigawa State.
The EFCC challenged the appellate court’s decision at the Supreme Court of Nigeria, which earlier this year overturned the ruling.
In a unanimous judgment delivered by Justice Abubakar Umar, a five-member panel held that Lamido and his co-defendants had a case to answer.
The apex court subsequently ordered that the matter be returned to the Federal High Court in Abuja for continuation of trial.
