September 20, (THEWILL) – The Federal High Court Abuja has said ex-Jigawa State Governor, Sule Lamido and his co-defendants, have a case to answer in the N712 million money-laundering charges filed against them, by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC.
EFCC is prosecuting Lamido on 37 amended charges, alongside two of his sons, Aminu and Mustapha Lamido. Other defendants include Aminu Abubakar, a business associate of Lamidos and four companies.
The former governor had filed a no-case submission, after the EFCC closed its case, stating that the evidence provided by the prosecution did not disclose any case against him.
However, ruling on the no-case submission, Justice Ijeoma Ojukwu upheld the submissions of EFCC’s counsel, Chile Okoroma, that Lamido had a case to answer.
The court dismissed his claim, ordering him to open his defence at the next adjourned date of the matter.
She adjourned the matter to November 8 to 11, 2022, for the former governor to open his defence.
Lamido and his co-accused were first arraigned before Justice Evelyn Anyadike of the Federal High Court, sitting in Kano, on July 9, 2015, for allegedly misappropriating funds belonging to Jigawa State.
A statement by EFCC said he had been re-arraigned several times before his further arraignment before Justice Ojukwu on February 14, 2022.
Part of the charges read: “That you Alhaji Sule Lamido (while being the Governor of Jigawa State, Nigeria), on or about 15th of December, 2008, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court in your account in the name of Bamaina Holdings (also referred to as Bamaina Holding Limited) domiciled at Unity Bank Plc. Kano, converted the sum of N14,850,000.00 (Fourteen Million, Eight Hundred and Fifty Thousand Naira) being the value of Intercontinental Bank Plc. (now Access Bank Plc) cheque no. 00000025 paid by Dantata & Sawoe Construction Company Nigeria Limited which represented the proceeds of your illegal act to wit: using your position as a public officer for gratification by purportedly obtaining contracts for companies in which you have interest from Dantata & Sawoe Construction Company Nigeria Limited which was awarded contracts by Jigawa State Government with the aim of concealing its illicit origin and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 14(1) (a) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2004 and punishable under Section 14(1) of the same Act.”
Count thirteen read: “That you Alhaji Sule Lamido (while being the Governor of Jigawa State, Nigeria), on or about March 2nd, 2012, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court in your account in the name Bamaina Holdings (also referred to as Bamaina Holding Limited) domiciled at Unity Bank Plc. Kano, converted the aggregate sum of N61,919,000.00 being the value of four Sterling Bank Plc cheques nos. 04981304, 04981305, 04981307, 04981308, three Diamond Bank Plc cheque nos. 32909551,32909548, 32909550 and four Bank PHB Plc cheques nos. 24444376, 24444374, 24444375 and 24444372 paid by Dantata & Sawoe Construction Company Nigeria Limited which represented the proceeds of bribery and corruption to wit: using your position as a public officer for gratification by purportedly obtaining contracts for companies in which you have interest from Dantata & Sawoe Construction Company Nigeria Limited which was awarded contracts by Jigawa State Government with the aim of concealing their illicit origin and you thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 15(1) (a) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2011 and punishable under section 15(1) of the same Act”
Count Thirty-two read: “That you Alhaji Sule Lamido (while being the Governor of Jigawa State, Nigeria), Aminu Sule Lamido Mustapha Sule Lamido, and Bamaina Company Nigeria Limited on or about 3rd of April 2012 within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court retained in the account of Bamaina Company Nigeria Limited domiciled with Skye Bank Plc Kano the sum of N57,000,000.00 transferred from the account of Bamaina Holdings (also known and referred to as Bamaina Holdings Limited) at Unity Bank Plc, Kano, which fund you knew represented the proceeds of illegal act of Alhaji Sule Lamido, who used his position as a public officer for gratification by obtaining purported contracts for Speeds International Limited, Gada Construction Company, and Bamaina Company Nigeria Limited from Dantata and Sawoe Construction Company Nigeria Limited, a company which was awarded contracts by the Jigawa State Government and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 17(a) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2011 and punishable under Section 17 of the same Act.”
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