Justice Peter Lifu of the Federal High Court in Abuja has scheduled April 1 for the fresh arraignment of former Jigawa State governor Sule Lamido over alleged ₦1.3 billion corruption charges filed against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.
Lamido is expected to appear in court alongside his two sons, Aminu Lamido and Mustapha Lamido, who are accused of participating in the alleged fraud through a fictitious contract arrangement.
The judge fixed the new date after the former governor and his sons were absent in court when the case was called for their arraignment.
Although the fresh arraignment had been scheduled for Friday, their lawyer, Joe Agi, apologised to the court for their absence, explaining that the notice of the proceedings was received only on Thursday evening.
He told the court that the former governor and his sons reside in Kano and were unable to travel to Abuja in time due to the short notice.
The senior advocate assured the court that the defendants would be present on the adjourned date to face their arraignment.
Counsel representing the EFCC, Chile Okoroma, however, expressed surprise at the absence of the defendants, stating that they had been properly served with the court’s notice.
Okoroma further disclosed that the EFCC had written to the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court, John Tsoho, requesting that the initial trial judge, Ijeoma Ojukwu, who had been transferred to Calabar, be returned to Abuja to continue the trial.
Justice Lifu, however, noted that the EFCC’s letter was an administrative matter to be handled by the Chief Judge and proceeded to adjourn the case to April 1 for arraignment.
The anti-corruption agency initially filed charges against Lamido, his sons, and their companies in 2015, accusing them of involvement in a 27-count charge bordering on money laundering amounting to about ₦1.35 billion allegedly diverted from the state.
The defendants were accused of committing the offences while Lamido served as governor between 2007 and 2015. According to the EFCC, the former governor abused his office to launder funds allegedly obtained as kickbacks from government contracts.
Other defendants in the case include the companies Bamaina Holdings Ltd and Speeds International Ltd.
During the trial, the EFCC presented more than 16 witnesses before closing its case. The defendants later filed a no-case submission, arguing that the prosecution had failed to provide sufficient evidence requiring them to open their defence.
However, Justice Ojukwu dismissed the submission in November 2022 and directed the defendants to begin their defence.
Lamido subsequently appealed the decision, and in July 2023 the Court of Appeal Nigeria upheld the no-case submission, ruling that the Federal High Court in Abuja lacked territorial jurisdiction to try the case.
The appellate court held that the trial should have been conducted in Jigawa State where the alleged offences took place.
Following that decision, the EFCC approached the Supreme Court of Nigeria in August 2023, seeking to overturn the ruling of the Court of Appeal.
On January 16, 2026, a five-member panel of the Supreme Court delivered a unanimous judgment overturning the appellate court’s decision. The ruling, delivered by Justice Abubakar Umar, held that the defendants had a case to answer.
The apex court consequently ordered that the matter be returned to the Federal High Court for continuation of the trial.
What you should know
Sule Lamido served as governor of Jigawa State from 2007 to 2015 under the Peoples Democratic Party.
After leaving office, he became one of several former state governors investigated by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission over alleged corruption linked to government contracts and public funds.
His trial has gone through several legal battles, including appeals over jurisdiction, before the Supreme Court of Nigeria ordered the continuation of the case in 2026.
