Guilty or not? Appellate court gives verdict in Sule Lamido’s alleged N712m fraud case

Former governor of Jigawa state, Sule Lamido and his two sons have been left off the hook by the appellate court in Abuja over the alleged N712 million money laundering case.

As reported by TheCable, the court on Tuesday, July 25, upheld the no-case submission filed by the defendants.

Lamido and his two sons were charged in court by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) in 2015 with a 37-count charge bordering on money laundering.

The case filed by the anti-graft agency included other defendants like Aminu Abubakar, a business associate to the former governor, and four companies – Bamaina Company Nigeria Limited, Bamaina Aluminium Limited, Speeds International Limited and Batholomew Darlington Agoha.

Before the closure of the case in 2022, at least 16 witnesses were docked for testimony over the money laundering case. In submitting the no-case file, the defendant noted that the prosecution does not have tangible material or evidence to start a case against him.

However, the submission of the defendant was dismissed by Ijeoma Ojukwu, on September 20, 2022, by the presiding judge, who ordered the defendants to open their case.

The ruling by Justice Ojukwu was later appealed. In the ruling at the appellate court, Justice Adamu Waziri noted that the trial court ought not to have heard the suit since the offence committed was not within its territorial jurisdiction.

The appellate court urged the prosecutor to file its case before an appellate court in Jigawa State, where the offence was allegedly committed, thereby discharging and acquitting Sule and his sons.

In another development, Nigeria's anti-graft body, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), has arraigned a top politician from Anambra state, southeast Nigeria, Stella Oduah.

Oduah was arraigned at the Federal High Court sitting in Abuja on a 25-count charge bordering on fraud. Oduah, who served as aviation minister from 2011 to 2014, is facing trial over an allegation that she laundered public funds to about 7.9 billion nairas in connivance with eight others.