The Federal High Court in Abuja has fixed April 1, 2026, for the fresh arraignment of former Jigawa State Governor Sule Lamido and his two sons, Aminu and Mustapha, in connection with an alleged ₦1.35 billion money laundering case filed by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
Two companies linked to the family, Bamaina Holdings Ltd and Speeds International Ltd, are also to be arraigned.
The date was set on Friday by Justice Peter Lifu after the defendants failed to appear in court to take their plea.
Their counsel, Joe Agi (SAN), apologised for the absence, explaining that notice of the proceedings only reached them late on Thursday. Agi told the court that the defendants reside in Kano and could not travel to Abuja on such short notice. He assured the court that they would be present on the adjourned date.
Counsel for the EFCC, Chile Okoroma (SAN), expressed surprise at the defendants’ absence, noting that they had been properly served with the hearing notice. Okoroma also informed the court that the commission had written to the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court, Justice John Tsoho, requesting that the original trial judge, Justice Ijeoma Ojukwu, now posted to Calabar, be returned to Abuja to continue handling the case.
Justice Lifu ruled that the matter raised in EFCC’s letter was administrative and for the Chief Judge to decide. He subsequently adjourned the case to April 1 for arraignment.
The EFCC had originally filed a 27-count charge against Lamido, his sons, and the two companies in 2015, alleging that about ₦1.35 billion was laundered through kickbacks obtained from state government contracts during Lamido’s tenure as governor between 2007 and 2015.
During the trial, the prosecution called more than 16 witnesses before closing its case. The defendants later filed a no-case submission, arguing that the prosecution had failed to establish a prima facie case.
In November 2022, the trial judge, Justice Ojukwu, dismissed the application and ordered the defendants to open their defence. Dissatisfied, Lamido and the other defendants appealed to the Court of Appeal, which in July 2023 upheld the no-case submission and ruled that the Federal High Court in Abuja lacked territorial jurisdiction, noting that the alleged offences occurred in Jigawa State.
The EFCC appealed the decision to the Supreme Court. On January 16, 2026, a five-member panel led by Justice Abubakar Umar set aside the Court of Appeal ruling, restored the charges against Lamido and his co-defendants, and ordered the trial to resume in the Federal High Court.
