The Supreme Court has ordered the continuation of the trial of Sule Lamido, former governor of Jigawa State, over alleged money laundering involving N1.35 billion.
A five-member panel of the Apex Court delivered the ruling on Friday, overturning the decision of the Court Of Appeal which had upheld the no-case submission filed by the former governor and his co-defendants.
In the lead judgement, Abubakar Umar, justice of the Supreme Court, nullified the July 25, 2023 verdict of the Appellate Court and reinstated the earlier ruling of Ijeoma Ojukwu, judge of the Federal High Court In Abuja, which dismissed the no-case submissions and ordered the defendants to enter their defence.
Recall that the case was instituted in 2015 by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) against Lamido and his sons, Aminu Lamido and Mustapha Lamido, on allegations bordering on money laundering.
The defendants were arraigned on 37 amended counts alongside Aminu Abubakar, described as a business associate of the former governor, and four companies, namely Bamaina Company Nigeria Limited, Bamaina Aluminium Limited, Speeds International Limited, and Batholomew Darlington Agoha.
During the trial, the anti-graft agency called 16 witnesses before closing its case in 2022.
Instead of opening their defence, the defendants filed a no-case submission, contending that the prosecution had failed to establish a prima facie case against them.
The application was dismissed on September 20, 2022, by Ijeoma Ojukwu, judge of the Federal High Court, who ordered the defendants to present their defence.
The defendants subsequently challenged the ruling at the Court Of Appeal.
In its judgement, the Appellate Court, led by Adamu Waziri, held that the Federal High Court lacked jurisdiction, arguing that the alleged offences should have been tried in Jigawa State where they were said to have occurred.
Based on that finding, the Appellate Court discharged Lamido and his sons before the Supreme Court reversed the decision and ordered the continuation of the trial.