…Lamido challenged the ruling at the Court of Appeal, which in July 2023 upheld the no-case submission.
ABUJA, NIGERIA- The iNews Times| The fresh arraignment of former Jigawa State Governor, Sule Lamido, over alleged ₦1.3 billion corruption charges has once again been stalled at the Federal High Court in Abuja.
Lamido, alongside his two sons, Aminu Lamido and Mustapha Lamido, was scheduled to be arraigned on April 1 over allegations of fraud linked to fictitious contract awards. However, despite the presence of all defendants in court, proceedings could not go on as planned.
The case had earlier suffered a similar setback on March 13 due to the late service of trial notices on the defendants.
At Wednesday’s hearing, just as the accused persons were set to take their plea, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) raised an objection to the fresh arraignment.
Counsel to the EFCC, Chile Okoroma (SAN), argued that proceeding with a fresh arraignment would contravene an earlier ruling by the Supreme Court. He drew the attention of Justice Peter Lifu to the apex court’s judgment delivered on January 16, 2026, which directed that Justice Ijeoma Ojukwu, who had initially handled the case, should continue and conclude the trial despite her transfer to the Calabar division.
Okoroma informed the court that the EFCC had already written to the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court, John Tsoho, requesting a fiat to bring Justice Ojukwu back to Abuja in compliance with the Supreme Court’s directive.
He subsequently urged Justice Lifu to adjourn the matter pending a response from the Chief Judge, noting that proceeding otherwise could result in a waste of judicial time.
With no objection from defence counsel, Joe Agi (SAN), the court adjourned the matter to April 30 to await further developments.
The EFCC had originally filed a 27-count charge against Lamido, his sons, and their companies, Bamaina Holdings Ltd and Speeds International Ltd, in 2015, accusing them of laundering ₦1.3 billion allegedly siphoned from Jigawa State through illicit financial dealings during Lamido’s tenure as governor between 2007 and 2015.
The anti-graft agency had called over 17 witnesses and closed its case before the defendants filed a no-case submission, arguing that the evidence presented was insufficient. However, Justice Ojukwu dismissed the application in November 2022 and ordered the defendants to open their defence.
Lamido challenged the ruling at the Court of Appeal, which in July 2023 upheld the no-case submission, ruling that the Federal High Court in Abuja lacked territorial jurisdiction and that the case ought to have been tried in Jigawa State.
Dissatisfied with the ruling, the EFCC approached the Supreme Court, which on January 16, 2026, overturned the appellate court’s decision. In a unanimous judgment delivered by Justice Abubakar Umar, the apex court held that the defendants had a case to answer and ordered the continuation of the trial at the Federal High Court.
With the latest adjournment, the case now awaits administrative action to determine whether Justice Ojukwu will return to Abuja to resume proceedings, as directed by the Supreme Court.
