A Federal High Court in Abuja has fixed 1 April for the fresh arraignment of former Jigawa State governor, Sule Lamido, over an alleged N1.3 billion corruption case filed against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
The new date was set on Friday by Peter Odo Lifu after Lamido and his two sons, Aminu Lamido and Mustapha Lamido, failed to appear in court to take their plea.
The former governor and his sons are accused of conspiring to defraud the state through the award of fictitious contracts. They are expected to be arraigned together when the matter resumes.
During Friday’s proceedings, defence counsel, Joe Agi, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), apologised to the court for the absence of the defendants. He explained that the notice informing them of the hearing was received only on Thursday evening, leaving insufficient time for the accused persons to travel from Kano, where they reside, to Abuja.
Agi assured the court that he would ensure the defendants appear on the next adjourned date to face the charges against them.
However, the EFCC’s counsel, Chile Okoroma, also a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, expressed surprise at their absence. He maintained that the defendants had been duly served with the trial notice and should have appeared in court.
Okoroma further revealed that the EFCC had written to the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court, John Tsoho, requesting that the original trial judge, Ijeoma Ojukwu, who was transferred to Calabar, be returned to Abuja to continue hearing the case.
Justice Lifu noted that the request contained in the EFCC’s letter was an administrative matter to be decided by the Chief Judge and subsequently adjourned the case until 1 April for arraignment.
The EFCC initially filed the charges in 2015, accusing Lamido, his sons, and their companies—Bamaina Holdings Ltd and Speeds International Ltd—of 27 counts of money laundering involving about N1.3 billion.
According to the anti-graft agency, the alleged offences occurred between 2007 and 2015 while Lamido served as governor of Jigawa State. The EFCC claims the former governor abused his office by laundering funds received as kickbacks from government contracts.
The case has taken several legal turns over the years. After the prosecution presented more than 16 witnesses and closed its case, the defendants filed a no-case submission, arguing that the evidence presented was insufficient for them to enter a defence. Justice Ojukwu dismissed the application in November 2022 and ordered them to proceed with their defence.
However, in July 2023, the Court of Appeal ruled in favour of the defendants, holding that the Federal High Court in Abuja lacked territorial jurisdiction and that the case ought to have been tried in Jigawa State where the alleged offences occurred.
The EFCC challenged the ruling at the Supreme Court. In January 2026, the apex court set aside the appellate court’s decision and held that Lamido and his sons had a case to answer, ordering that the trial resume at the Federal High Court.
