Court of Appeal clears Sule Lamido, son of money laundering charges

The Court of Appeal in Abuja has discharged and acquitted former Jigawa State governor, Sule Lamido, and his son, along with others, over alleged money laundering charges.

A three-member panel of justices, led by Justice Adamu Waziri, made the ruling on Tuesday, stating that the Federal High Court in Abuja lacked the jurisdiction to try the case, as many of the issues involved were beyond its scope.

The case against Lamido was initially brought before Justice Adeniyi Ademola of the Federal High Court in Abuja in September 2016. It included 43-count charges related to conspiracy, abuse of office, and money laundering amounting to N1.351 billion.

Apart from Sule Lamido and his two sons, Aminu and Mustapha, other defendants included a former aide, Wada Abubakar, and four companies: Baimana Holdings Ltd, Bamaina Company Nigeria Ltd, Bamaina Aluminium Ltd, Speeds International Ltd, and Batholomew Darlington Agoha.

The case had faced numerous setbacks over the years, including the retirement and subsequent death of the presiding judges. It was re-assigned multiple times, prolonging the trial for over nine years.

After the Federal High Court in Abuja rejected a no-case submission by the defendants, Sule Lamido filed an appeal with the Court of Appeal challenging the lower court’s ruling.