The Supreme Court has upheld the conviction of Aminu Sule Lamido, son of former Jigawa State Governor, Sule Lamido, for failing to declare $40,000 at an international airport, bringing to an end years of legal challenges over the offence.
In a unanimous judgment, the apex court dismissed Aminu Lamido’s appeal, ruling that it lacked merit and affirming the decisions of the lower courts. The court thereby sustained his conviction for false declaration of foreign currency.
Aminu was arrested by operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on December 11, 2012, at the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport while attempting to board a flight to Cairo, Egypt. Investigations revealed that although he declared $10,000 to the Nigeria Customs Service, he was in possession of an additional $40,000 which he failed to disclose on the mandatory currency declaration form.
The EFCC subsequently charged him before the Federal High Court in Kano on a one-count charge bordering on false declaration of foreign currency, contrary to the provisions of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act. On July 12, 2015, the trial court found him guilty and ordered the forfeiture of 25 per cent of the undeclared amount to the Federal Government.
Aminu challenged the verdict at the Court of Appeal in Kaduna, seeking to overturn both the conviction and the forfeiture order. However, in a judgment delivered on December 7, 2015, the appellate court dismissed his appeal, a decision that has now been affirmed by the Supreme Court.
Supreme Court Orders Continuation of ₦1.35bn Fraud Trial
In a related development, the Supreme Court has also directed that the ongoing trial of former Governor Sule Lamido, his two sons, and other co-defendants over alleged ₦1.35 billion fraud should proceed before the Federal High Court in Abuja.
A five-member panel of the apex court issued the order in two unanimous judgments delivered in appeals filed by the EFCC. The court upheld the ruling of the trial court which dismissed the no-case submissions filed by the defendants, holding that the prosecution had established a prima facie case requiring them to enter their defence.
The appeals arose from the July 25, 2023 judgments of the Court of Appeal in Abuja, which had upheld the no-case submissions of Lamido and others and struck out the 37-count charge against them on the grounds that the Federal High Court in Abuja lacked jurisdiction to hear the case.
Delivering the lead judgments, Justice Abubakar Umar set aside the appellate court’s decisions and reinstated the earlier ruling of Justice Ijeoma Ojukwu of the Federal High Court, Abuja. Justice Ojukwu had overruled the no-case submissions and ordered the defendants to open their defence.
The EFCC alleges in the 37-count charge that Lamido abused his office as Jigawa State governor between 2007 and 2015 by laundering funds allegedly received as kickbacks from companies awarded contracts by the state government during his tenure.
Those standing trial alongside the former governor include his sons, Aminu and Mustapha Lamido, Aminu Wada Abubakar, as well as two companies, Bamaina Holdings Limited and Speeds International Limited.
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