The Supreme Court on Friday ordered the continuation of the trial of former Jigawa State Governor Sule Lamido and his sons over alleged money laundering involving N1.35 billion.
A five-member panel of the apex court quashed the Court of Appeal’s earlier ruling, which had upheld a no-case submission by Lamido and his co-defendants.
The Supreme Court reinstated the Federal High Court’s decision, which had rejected the no-case argument and directed the defendants to enter their defence.
In the lead judgment, Justice Abubakar Umar set aside the appellate court’s July 25, 2023 verdict and reaffirmed the ruling of Federal High Court Judge Ijeoma Ojukwu.
Background
The case dates back to 2015 when the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) charged Lamido and two of his sons, Aminu and Mustapha, along with a business associate, Aminu Abubakar, and four companies Bamaina Company Nigeria Limited, Bamaina Aluminium Limited, Speeds International Limited, and Bartholomew Darlington Agoha on 37 amended counts of money laundering.
The EFCC had called 16 witnesses before closing its case in 2022. The defendants had subsequently filed a no-case submission, arguing that the prosecution had not presented sufficient evidence.
This submission was dismissed by the Federal High Court on September 20, 2022. The defendants then appealed, leading to the current Supreme Court ruling.
With the apex court’s decision, the trial is set to resume, requiring Lamido and the other defendants to open their defence.