Court rules that Ex-Gov., Lamido has case to answer over alleged N712m fraud

The Abuja Federal High Court has ruled that a former Governor of Jigawa State, Sule Lamido, and his co-defendants have a case to answer regarding the N712 million money laundering charges brought against him.

Ijeoma Ojukwu, the trial judge, on Monday, in a ruling dismissing Mr. Lamido’s no-case filing.

the Commission of Economic and Financial Crimes (EFCC) is prosecuting Mr. Lamido along with two of his sons, Aminu Sule Lamido and Mustapha Sule Lamido, and others on money laundering charges involving N712,008,035.

Another of the co-defendants is Lamido’s business partner, Aminu Wada Abubakar.

The rest are four companies: Bamaina Company Nigeria Limited, Bamaina Aluminum Limited, Speeds International Limited, and Batholomew Darlington Agoha.

The defendants face 37 amended charges in total.

Lamido had filed a no-case filing after the prosecution finished calling their witnesses.

He argued that the evidence provided by the prosecution did not reveal any case against him.

Therefore, he asked the judge to dismiss the charges since, according to him, it was not necessary for him to present any defense.

But, in ruling on Monday, the judge, Ms. Ojukwu, upheld EFCC lawyer Chile Okoroma’s allegations that the defendants had a case to answer, according to a statement by EFCC spokesman Wilson Uwujaren.

The judge ordered him to open his defense from November 8 to 11, the date of the next hearing chosen on Monday.

Background

Mr. Lamido, Governor of Jigawa State from 2007 to 2015, was first indicted along with his co-defendants before Kano Federal High Court Judge Evelyn Anyadike on July 9, 2015, for alleged embezzlement. belonging to the state of Jigawa.

He had been prosecuted again on different occasions before his case was reassigned to Ms. Ojukwu.

He and his co-defendants appeared again before Judge Ojukwu on February 14.