- Sule Lamido’s fraud trial was adjourned after his lead lawyer missed court
- The defence said its counsel travelled to Germany with the case documents
- The court fixed the next hearing for September 2026
Former Jigawa State Governor Sule Lamido’s alleged N1.35 billion fraud trial suffered another setback on Tuesday after the Federal High Court in Abuja adjourned proceedings due to the absence of his lead counsel, Joe Agi (SAN).
Eko Hot Blog gathered that Lamido, alongside his sons, Aminu and Mustapha, is facing a 37-count charge filed by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), which accuses them of money laundering, receiving kickbacks and awarding fictitious contracts involving about N1.35 billion. The alleged offences were said to have occurred during Lamido’s tenure as Jigawa State governor between 2007 and 2015.
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The EFCC disclosed the latest development in a statement shared on its official X account on Tuesday.
During the court session, a member of the defence team, O.F. Ekegba, explained that the lead counsel was out of the country and therefore unavailable to proceed with the case.
He told the court that Agi had travelled to Germany to meet a witness and had taken along the case file and other relevant documents. Ekegba assured the court that the defence would conclude its case within three days if given hearing dates in September.
Reacting, EFCC counsel Chile Okoroma (SAN) informed the court that the prosecution had only received the defence’s affidavit of facts earlier that morning.
Although he said he would have preferred to respond to the new filing, Okoroma accepted the request for adjournment after the defence undertook to conclude its presentation within two or three days at the next hearing.
Justice Ijeoma Ojukwu subsequently postponed the trial until a date in September 2026, which will later be communicated to both parties.
The latest delay came barely a day after the matter was also adjourned because of Agi’s absence.
At Monday’s sitting, the senior lawyer had written to the court explaining that he could not attend because he was undergoing a medical procedure and requested more time.
While wishing him a quick recovery, the prosecution had argued that another lawyer from the defence team could have handled the proceedings, stressing that the case has remained in court since 2015.
The prosecution also reminded the court that Justice Ojukwu had travelled from her Calabar judicial division to Abuja specifically to preside over the matter before it was eventually postponed.
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