The Supreme Court of Nigeria on Friday, January 16, 2026, ordered the continuation of the N1.35 billion corruption trial involving former Jigawa State Governor, Alhaji Sule Lamido, and his two sons, Mustapha and Aminu. This decision overturned a previous ruling by the Court of Appeal that had discharged the defendants.
In a unanimous ruling, a five-member panel led by Justice Abubakar Sadiq Umar held that the appeal filed by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) was meritorious. The apex court directed Lamido and his sons to return to the Federal High Court in Abuja, Nigeria’s capital, to open their defence in the case.
Okay News reports that Lamido, his sons, Aminu Wada Abubakar, and their companies—Bamaina Holdings Limited and Speeds International Limited—are facing trial before Justice Ijeoma Ojukwu on a 37-count amended charge. The allegations include money laundering and abuse of office linked to government contracts during Lamido’s tenure as Jigawa State Governor from 2007 to 2015.
The EFCC had claimed that Lamido and his sons laundered N1.35 billion obtained as kickbacks from contractors engaged in state projects. At the conclusion of the prosecution’s case, the defendants submitted a no-case submission, arguing the EFCC had not established a prima facie case against them. Justice Ojukwu, however, dismissed the application, stating that the evidence presented by the EFCC warranted the defendants entering their defence.
In July 2023, the Court of Appeal overturned the Federal High Court ruling and struck out the charges, prompting the EFCC to appeal to the Supreme Court. The anti-graft agency contended that the appellate court erred in law by freeing the defendants despite substantial evidence linking them to the alleged offences.
In its judgment on Friday, the Supreme Court restored the charges, reaffirming that the trial should continue and allowing Lamido and his family to defend themselves against the allegations.
