EFCC Re-arraigns Former Jigawa Governor, Sule Lamido, Sons

posted by Som Offor.



The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) today, Tuesday, September 22 re-arraigned a former governor of Jigawa state, Sule Lamido, his two sons – Aminu Sule Lamido and Mustapha Sule Lamido before a federal high court in Abuja.

The governor and his sons were re-arraigned alongside Aminu Abubakar and Batholomew Agoha over a 27-count amended charge bordering on corruption and money laundering.

Other companies – Bamaina Holdings Limited, Bamaina Company Nigeria Limited, Bamaina Aluminium Limited and Speeds International Limited – were also joined in the suit.

They were alleged to have been used by Lamido and his cronies to carry out the fraudulent activities in Jigawa state.

One of the charges read: “That you Alhaji Sule Lamido (while being Governor of Jigawa State, Nigeria), Aminu Sule Lamido, Mustapha Sule Lamido, Bamaina Holdings Limited, Bamaina Company Nigeria Limited, and Speeds International Limited between October 15 and December 18, 2008 within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court did convert an aggregate sum of N124, 649, 915 paid by Dantata and Sawoe Construction Company Nigeria Limited into the account of Speeds International Limited.”

Another charge read: “That you Alhaji Sule Lamido (while being the governor of Jigawa State, Nigeria), Aminu Sule Lamido, Mustapha Sule Lamido, Bamaina Holdings Limited, Bamaina Company Nigeria Limited and Speeds International Limited between January 8 and December 10, 2013 within the jurisdiction of this Honbourable Court took possession of an aggregate sum of N101, 580, 300 paid by Dantata and Sawoe Construction Company Nigeria Limited into the account of Bamaina Holdings Limited.”

At the resumed hearing today, counsel to the EFCC, Chile Okoroma, presented the court with the amended charge, dated September 15, 2015, The charge introduced Agoha, manager of Speeds International Limited, as one of the accused persons.

 Although the hearing was adjourned briefly for the registry to assign a new charge number to the amended charge sheet, since the case was originally heard in Kano, the charges were all read to the accused persons who pleaded not guilty to the charges.
On hearing their pleas, the presiding judge over today’s case, Adeniyi Ademola adjourned the case to October 21 and 22 for commencement of trial.

 Lamido, his sons and others were earlier arraigned before Justice, Evelyn Anyadike at a federal high court, Kano state on July 9 over misappropriation of funds belonging to the state government during the former governor’s tenure.

The case was later transferred to a federal high court in Abuja presided over by Justice Gabriel Kolawole, a vacation judge who in his ruling granted the former governor bail on self-recognizance, his sons and the two others were admitted to a N25 million bail bond each.

They were also all requested to submit their passport to the court and provide two sureties each, one of which must be a civil servant of grade level 16 or retired as such, or a businessman who owns a landed property not worth less that N75 million in Abuja or Jigawa state.
The sureties must also provide two recent passport photographs.

Kolawale adjourned the case to September 22, 2015.