Former Jigawa State Governor, Sule Lamido, alongside his two sons, Aminu Lamido and Mustapha Lamido, will be arraigned on April 1, 2026, over an alleged N1.3 billion fraud.
The fresh arraignment will take place before Peter Odo Lifu of the Federal High Court of Nigeria, Maitama Division in Abuja, following a directive for the continuation of trial.
Also listed as defendants in the case are two companies linked to the family, Bamaina Holdings Ltd and Speeds International Ltd.
The defendants are being prosecuted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission over allegations that the former governor and his sons received kickbacks and awarded fictitious contracts while Lamido served as governor between 2007 and 2015.
The new arraignment date followed the defendants’ failure to appear in court on the earlier scheduled date of March 13, 2026.
Defence counsel, Joe Agi, apologised for the aborted proceedings, explaining that the defendants were unable to attend because they received the arraignment notice at short notice. He assured the court that they would be present on the adjourned date.
However, prosecution counsel, Chile Okoroma, expressed dissatisfaction with the absence of the defendants, maintaining that they had been properly served the court notice in good time.
Okoroma also disclosed that the prosecution had written to the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court, John Tsoho, requesting that the initial trial judge, Ijeoma Ojukwu, who has since been transferred to Calabar, be reassigned to handle the case.
Justice Lifu, however, described the request as an administrative matter for the Chief Judge and proceeded to adjourn the case to April 1 for fresh arraignment.
The anti-graft agency had initially filed a 27-count charge against the defendants in 2015 before Justice Ojukwu at the Federal High Court in Abuja, accusing them of money laundering, official corruption and abuse of office involving about N1.3 billion.
After the prosecution closed its case and called about 17 witnesses, the defendants filed a no-case submission, arguing that the evidence presented did not warrant them entering a defence. In November 2022, Justice Ojukwu dismissed the application and directed them to open their defence.
The defendants subsequently appealed the ruling, and in July 2023 the Court of Appeal of Nigeria upheld their no-case submission and discharged them, ruling that the Abuja division of the Federal High Court lacked jurisdiction and that the trial ought to have been conducted in Jigawa State where the alleged offences occurred.
Dissatisfied with the ruling, the EFCC approached the Supreme Court of Nigeria in August 2023, seeking to overturn the appellate court’s decision.
In a unanimous judgment delivered on January 16, 2026, a five-member panel of the Supreme Court led by Abubakar Umar set aside the Court of Appeal’s decision and held that the defendants had a case to answer.
The apex court consequently ordered that the case be returned to the Federal High Court for continuation of trial, paving the way for the fresh arraignment scheduled for April 1.
