Court Discharges, Acquits Lamido, Son Of Money Laundering

The Court of Appeal in Abuja, in a ruling that has rumbled through the political landscape, has acquitted former Jigawa State Governor, Sule Lamido, and others of money laundering charges.

Presiding over the case, a panel of three justices led by Justice Adamu Waziri, declared on Tuesday that the Federal High Court in Abuja did not possess the necessary jurisdiction to try the case.

The reason being that most of the case’s issues originated from outside its jurisdiction.

The defendants had previously filed a no-case submission, which was rejected by the Federal High Court in Abuja.

Following this, Lamido appealed against the lower court’s ruling at the Court of Appeal.

In 2016, Lamido was initially arraigned before Justice Adeniyi Ademola on a staggering 43-count charges related to conspiracy, abuse of office, and money laundering amounting to N1.351 billion.

He was charged alongside his two sons, Aminu and Mustapha, former aide Wada Abubakar, and four companies.

After a gruelling nine years, the case underwent several interruptions, primarily due to changes in presiding judges.

Justice Ademola’s retirement, Justice Chukwu’s passing, and Justice Quadri’s transfer resulted in the case being reassigned multiple times.

Eventually, Justice Ijeoma Ojukwu took up the mantle. Despite the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) having presented its final witness, the trial had to restart due to these changes.