Supreme Court Orders Continuation of Lamido’s ₦1.35 Billion Corruption Trial, Upholds $40,000 Forfeiture Against Son
The Supreme Court has directed that the ₦1.35 billion corruption trial of former Jigawa State Governor, Sule Lamido, his sons Mustapha and Aminu, and their companies must proceed at the Federal High Court.
In a unanimous ruling delivered by Justice Abubakar Sadiq Umar, a five‑man panel of the apex court voided the July 2023 judgment of the Court of Appeal which had discharged Lamido. The court held that the EFCC’s appeal was meritorious, thereby reinstating the charges and ordering Lamido and his co‑defendants to return to the trial court to defend themselves.
Lamido, his sons, and their firms — Bamaina Holdings Limited and Speeds International Limited — face a 37‑count charge bordering on money laundering and abuse of office. The EFCC alleges that Lamido laundered ₦1.35 billion in kickbacks from contractors during his tenure as governor between 2007 and 2015.
The Federal High Court had earlier dismissed the defendants’ no‑case submission, ruling that sufficient evidence existed to warrant a defence. However, the Court of Appeal disagreed and discharged them. The Supreme Court has now reversed that decision, affirming that the trial must continue.
In a related ruling, the Supreme Court also dismissed the appeal filed by Aminu Sule Lamido, son of the former governor, challenging his conviction and forfeiture of $40,000 to the Federal Government.
A five‑member panel led by Justice Inyang Okoro held that the appeal lacked merit. Aminu had been convicted for failing to declare the funds at Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport while travelling to Egypt in 2012.
The EFCC arraigned him on a one‑count charge of false declaration of foreign currency. He was convicted by the Federal High Court in Kano on July 12, 2015, which ordered him to forfeit 25% of the undeclared sum. The Court of Appeal upheld the conviction in December 2015.
The Supreme Court, in a unanimous judgment delivered by Justice Adamu Jauro (read by Justice Abubakar Umar), affirmed the concurrent decisions of the lower courts, declaring that the appeal was “doomed to fail.”
