The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on Wednesday reiterated its insistence that former Jigawa State Governor Sule Lamido, his sons, and other co-defendants be retried by the original trial judge, Justice Ijeoma Ojukwu.
This followed delays in their re-arraignment at the Federal High Court, Abuja.
The Supreme Court had, on January 16, ordered a retrial of the defendants on alleged N1.35 billion money laundering offences.
Counsel for the EFCC, Chile Okoroma, SAN, informed Justice Peter Lifu that the commission was still awaiting the Chief Judge’s response to a request allowing Justice Ojukwu, who sits in the Calabar division, to continue the case.
Okoroma explained that the application aligned with the Supreme Court’s directive and emphasised that the prosecution had called at least 17 witnesses before the retrial order.
He requested an adjournment to await official communication from the Chief Judge. Counsel to the defendants, Joe Agi, SAN, did not oppose the application.
Justice Lifu adjourned the matter until April 30 for re-arraignment or further proceedings.
Their previous re-arraignment, scheduled for March 13, was stalled due to the absence of Lamido and his co-defendants.
The Supreme Court had overturned the July 25, 2023 Court of Appeal judgment that upheld Lamido’s no-case submission, striking out the 37-count charge on jurisdictional grounds.
In its lead judgment, Justice Abubakar Umar affirmed Justice Ojukwu’s earlier ruling that overruled the no-case submission and ordered the defendants to enter their defence.
The 37-count charge alleged that Lamido abused his office between 2007 and 2015, laundering funds received as kickbacks from companies awarded Jigawa State contracts.
Other defendants included his sons Aminu and Mustapha, Aminu Wada Abubakar, and their companies Bamaina Holdings Ltd and Speeds International Ltd.
