ENUGU, Nigeria (VOICE OF NAIJA)- The retrial of former Sule Lamido, ex-governor of Jigawa State, alongside his two sons and others over an alleged N1.35 billion fraud was stalled on Friday at the Federal High Court in Abuja due to the absence of the defendants.
The matter, which was recently reassigned to Justice Peter Lifu, could not proceed as none of the defendants appeared in court.
Although counsel to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Chile Okoroma (SAN), and defence counsel, Joe Agi (SAN), were present, the accused persons were conspicuously absent.
Addressing the court, Agi explained that the hearing notice for the proceedings was received late on Thursday at about 5 p.m.
According to him, the defendants, who reside in Kano, could not travel to Abuja as there was no available aircraft to convey them in time for the sitting.
He, however, undertook to ensure their presence on the next adjourned date.
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Meanwhile, Okoroma, who represented the EFCC, informed the court that a letter had been written to the Chief Judge seeking the reassignment of the case back to the former trial judge, Justice Ijeoma Ojukwu, who had previously handled the matter.
In response, Agi said he had yet to receive a copy of the letter.
Justice Lifu subsequently asked Okoroma if he was still in the employment of the EFCC.
“Are you part of the EFCC? Are you still in the employment of EFCC?” the judge asked.
“No, my Lord,” Okoroma replied.
Reacting, Justice Lifu noted that the implication of the request was that Justice Ojukwu would have to travel from Calabar to continue hearing the case.
“The onus of your protest is that you want my Lord, Hon Justice Ojukwu, to come from Calabar to take the case,” the judge observed.
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The judge further remarked that the case had been pending since 2015 and stressed the need for the trial to proceed without further delay.
“The CJ assigned the case to me, and it is my duty to start hearing as an obedient servant,” he said.
Justice Lifu then directed Okoroma to provide a copy of the letter to the defence counsel, who indicated that he intended to raise objections.
The court subsequently adjourned the matter until April 1 for hearing.
Earlier, the Supreme Court of Nigeria had, on January 16, ordered that Lamido and the other defendants stand trial over the alleged N1.35 billion fraud.
The directive was issued by a five-member panel of the apex court in two unanimous judgments delivered in appeals filed by the Federal Government through the EFCC.
The appeals challenged the July 25, 2023 judgments of the Court of Appeal of Nigeria in Abuja, which had upheld a no-case submission by Lamido and others and struck out the 37-count charge against them on the grounds that the Federal High Court lacked jurisdiction.
However, in the lead judgment delivered by Justice Abubakar Umar, the Supreme Court set aside the appellate court’s decision and upheld the earlier ruling of Justice Ojukwu, which dismissed the no-case submission and ordered the defendants to open their defence.
The EFCC, in the 37-count charge, accused Lamido of abusing his position as governor between 2007 and 2015 by allegedly laundering money received as kickbacks from companies awarded contracts by the Jigawa State Government.
Other defendants in the case include Lamido’s sons, Aminu Lamido and Mustapha Lamido; Aminu Wada Abubakar; as well as their companies, Bamaina Holdings Ltd and Speeds International Ltd.