- The Supreme Court faulted the appellate court’s decision and ordered the Federal High Court to continue the trial
- the evidence presented was sufficient and ordered the defendants to open their defence
- EFCC presented a valid case and directed Lamido and his sons to return to the Federal High Court
The Supreme Court has ordered the resumption of the N1.35 billion corruption trial involving a former Governor of Jigawa State, Alhaji Sule Lamido, and his sons, Mustapha and Aminu, effectively reversing their earlier discharge.
Eko Hot Blog reports that the in a unanimous ruling delivered on Friday by a five-man panel headed by Justice Abubakar Sadiq Umar, the apex court upheld the appeal filed by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and nullified the July 2023 judgment of the Court of Appeal that had cleared the defendants.
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The court held that the EFCC presented a valid case and directed Lamido and his sons to return to the Federal High Court in Abuja to enter their defence.
Lamido, alongside his sons Aminu Wada Abubakar and Mustapha, as well as two companies, Bamaina Holdings Limited and Speeds International Limited, are facing a 37-count amended charge bordering on money laundering and abuse of office before Justice Ijeoma Ojukwu.
The EFCC alleged that the former governor, who served between 2007 and 2015, received and laundered N1.35 billion in kickbacks from contractors handling Jigawa State government projects.
At the close of the prosecution’s case, the defendants had asked the trial court to dismiss the charges, arguing that the anti-graft agency failed to establish a prima facie case.
However, Justice Ojukwu ruled that the evidence presented was sufficient and ordered the defendants to open their defence.
That decision was later overturned by the Court of Appeal in July 2023, which struck out the charges, prompting the EFCC to approach the Supreme Court.
In its final verdict, the Supreme Court faulted the appellate court’s decision, restored the charges, and ordered the Federal High Court to continue the trial, with the defendants required to defend themselves against the allegations.
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