By Ebere Agozie

The Supreme Court on Friday ordered the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC to resuscitate the trial of former governor of Jigawa state, Sule Lamido and his two sons, Mustapha and Aminu Lamido for the 1.35 billion naira corruption charges brought against them.

EFCC had arraigned Lamido, his sons, Aminu Wada Abubakar, and their companies Bamaina Holdings Limited and Speeds International Limited before Justice Ijeoma Ojukwu of the Federal High Court, Abuja in 2015.

They were arraigned on a 37-count amended charge, including money laundering and abuse of office.

The EFCC alleged that Lamido, who governed Jigawa from 2007 to 2015 laundered 1.35 billion naira in kickbacks from contractors handling state government projects.

At the completion of the EFCC case, Lamido and other defendants filed a no case submission on the ground that no prima facie case was established against them.

But the Federal High Court in a ruling dismissed the no case submission and held that sufficient evidence had been supplied by EFCC that required them to enter defense.

However, Lamido took the case to the Court of Appeal which in July 2023 disagreed with the Federal High Court and dismissed the charges against the defendants.

But EFCC filed an appeal against the decision at the apex court praying it to uphold the ruling of the Federal High Court and remit the matter to the court for continuation of trial.

EFCC submitted that the Court of Appeal erred in law by discharging the defendants despite the avalanches of evidence establishing a prima facie case against the former governor and his sons.

Delivering judgment on the EFCC’s appeal on Friday, five-man panel of Justices ordered the continuation of the trial Lamido and the other defendants.

The apex court panel in the decision read by Justice Abubakar Umar affirmed that that the appeal by the EFCC against the Court of Appeal verdict was meritorious and sustained.

Consequently, the apex curt voided and set aside the judgment of the Court of Appeal of July 2023 which set the former governor free and the other defendants free.

The apex court ordered that Lamido and his two sons should go back to the Federal High Court and defend themselves from the EFCC allegations.

It ordered that the charges against the defendants be resuscitated by EFCC for the Lamidos to enter their defense in the corruption charges.

Source; PM News