The Supreme Court of Nigeria has ordered that the trial of a former Governor of Jigawa State, Sule Lamido, his two sons and other defendants over an alleged ₦1.35 billion fraud should continue before the Federal High Court, Abuja.
A five-member panel of the apex court gave the directive in two unanimous judgments delivered on Friday in the appeals filed by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on behalf of the Federal Government.
The appeals challenged the July 25, 2023, judgments of the Court of Appeal, Abuja Division, which had upheld the no-case submissions of Lamido and the other defendants and struck out the 37-count charge on the grounds that the Federal High Court lacked jurisdiction to hear the case.
In the lead judgments, Justice Abubakar Umar set aside the Appeal Court’s decision and affirmed the earlier ruling of Justice Ijeoma Ojukwu of the Federal High Court, Abuja.
Justice Umar held that the trial court was right in overruling the no-case submissions and ordering the defendants to open their defence.
According to the EFCC, Lamido allegedly abused his office as governor between 2007 and 2015, laundering funds said to have been received as kickbacks from companies awarded contracts by the Jigawa State Government during his tenure.
The anti-graft agency accused the former governor and his co-defendants of committing multiple offences bordering on money laundering in the 37-count charge.
Those charged alongside Lamido are his two sons, Aminu and Mustapha Lamido, Aminu Wada Abubakar, as well as two companies, Bamaina Holdings Limited and Speeds International Limited.