IBADAN, Nigeria (VOICE OF NAIJA)- Former Governor of Jigawa state, Sule Lamido, and his co-defendents are to stand trial for alleged money laundering charges.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) is prosecuting Mr Lamido alongside two of his sons – Aminu Sule Lamido and Mustapha Sule Lamido – and others on money laundering charges involving N712,008,035.
Another of the co-defendants is the Lamidos’ business associate, Aminu Wada Abubakar.
The rest are four companies – Bamaina Company Nigeria Limited, Bamaina Aluminium Limited, Speeds International Limited – and Batholomew Darlignton Agoha.
The defendants face 37 amended charges in all.
Mr Lamido had filed a no-case submission after the prosecution finished calling its witnesses.
He alleged that the evidence provided by the prosecution did not disclose any case against him.
Mr Lamido’s no-case submission was dismissed by the court presided over by Justice Ijeoma Ojukwu of the Federal High Court, Abuja.
EFCC spokesman, Wilson Uwujuaren, on Monday, said the agency earlier arraigned the former governor alongside the other accused for abusing his office as Jigawa governor between 2007 to 2015.
The anti-graft agency is alleging that the former governor awarded contracts to companies where he was an interested party, using his two sons as fronts.
He has been, therefore, informed to open his defence on November 8-11, 2022.
Mr Lamido, the Jigawa State governor between 2007 and 2015, was first arraigned along with his co-defendants before Evelyn Anyadike, a judge of the Federal High Court in Kano, on 9 July 2015, for allegedly misappropriating funds belonging to Jigawa State.
He and his co-defendants were re-arraigned before Justice Ojukwu on 14 February.