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From Godwin Tsa, Abuja
The Supreme Court has voided the judgment of the Court of Appeal which set the former governor of Jigawa State, Sule Lamido and his two sons Mustapha and Aminu in the N1.35bn corruption charges filed against them by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
Consequently, the apex court in a unanimous judgment of a five-man panel ordered the continuation of trial of the defendants.
Justice Abubakar Sadiq Umar who read the judgment held that the appeal by EFCC against the Court of Appeal verdict was meritorious and sustained.
Consequently, the Supreme Court ordered that Lamido and his two sons should go back to the Federal High Court and defend themselves from the EFCC allegations.
Lamido, his sons, Aminu Wada Abubakar, and their companies—Bamaina Holdings Limited and Speeds International Limited—were arraigned before Justice Ijeoma Ojukwu of the Federal High Court, Abuja, on a 37-count amended charge, including money laundering and abuse of office.
The EFCC alleged that Lamido, who governed Jigawa from 2007 to 2015, laundered ₦1.35 billion in kickbacks from contractors handling state government projects.
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At the completion of the EFCC case, Lamido and other defendants filed a no case submission on the ground that no prima facie case was established against them.
The Federal High Court in a ruling dismissed the no case submission and held that sufficient evidence had been supplied by EFCC that required them to enter defense.
The former governor took the case to the Court of Appeal which in July 2023 disagreed with the Federal High Court and dismissed the charges against the defendants.
Not satisfied with the Court of Appeal’s decision, the EFCC filed an appeal at the Supreme Court praying the Apex Court to uphold the ruling of the Federal High Court and remit the matter to the court for continuation of trial.
EFCC submitted that the Court of Appeal erred in law by discharging the defendants despite the avalanches of evidence establishing a prima facie case against the former governor and his sons.
The Supreme Court in Friday’s judgment ordered that the charges against the defendants be resuscitated by EFCC for the Lamidos to enter their defense in the corruption charges.
