Justice Peter Lifu of the Federal High Court, Abuja, has fixed April 1, 2026, for the fresh arraignment of former Jigawa State governor Sule Lamido and his two sons, Aminu and Mustapha Lamido, over ₦1.3 billion corruption charges filed by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
The charges relate to an alleged fictitious contract award through which Lamido and his sons are accused of committing fraud during his tenure as governor.
The new arraignment date follows the defendants’ absence from court on the previously scheduled date. Their counsel, Joe Agi SAN, apologised for the absence, explaining that the Lamidos are residents of Kano State and had received notice of the hearing too late to attend. Agi assured the court that the accused would be present on the adjourned date.
EFCC counsel, Chile Okoroma SAN, expressed surprise at their absence, noting that the trial notice had been properly served. The commission also requested the Chief Judge of the court, Justice John Tsoho, to facilitate the return of the initial trial judge, Justice Ijeoma Ojukwu, who has since been transferred to Calabar, to continue the trial. Justice Lifu said this administrative request would be addressed separately and maintained the April 1 arraignment date.
The case has a long history. In 2015, EFCC charged Lamido, his sons, and their companies — Bamaina Holdings Ltd and Speeds International Ltd — with 27 counts of money laundering, alleging that ₦1.35 billion was siphoned from Jigawa State through kickbacks from government contracts between 2007 and 2015.
After EFCC presented over 16 witnesses, the defendants filed a no-case submission, which was initially dismissed by Justice Ojukwu in November 2022, ordering them to enter a defence. The Court of Appeal, in July 2023, later upheld the no-case submission, ruling that the Federal High Court lacked territorial jurisdiction and that the trial should have been in Jigawa State.
However, EFCC appealed to the Supreme Court, which, on January 16, 2026, set aside the Court of Appeal decision. A five-member panel led by Justice Abubakar Umar held that the defendants had a case to answer and ordered the matter returned to the Federal High Court for continuation of the trial.
With the Supreme Court ruling, Lamido and his sons are now expected to face arraignment on April 1, marking the next phase in the high-profile corruption case.
