EFCC insists on retrial of former Governor Sule Lamido and his sons by former judge

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has insisted that the retrial of former Jigawa State governor Sule Lamido, his sons, and others be conducted by the original trial judge, Justice Ijeoma Ojukwu.

Counsel to the EFCC, Chile Okoroma, made the position known before Justice Peter Lifu in Abuja, stating that the commission was awaiting a response from the Chief Judge, John Tsoho, on its request.

Okoroma explained that the application followed a directive of the Supreme Court ordering a retrial and sought a fiat to allow Justice Ojukwu, now posted to the Calabar division, to conclude the case. “According to him, we wrote a letter to the chief judge explaining why the order of the Supreme Court must be obeyed.”

He added that the prosecution had already called at least 17 witnesses before the earlier proceedings were halted, making it necessary for the same judge to continue the matter. He subsequently applied for an adjournment pending the Chief Judge’s decision. Counsel for the defendants, Joe Agi, did not oppose the request.

Justice Lifu adjourned the case to April 30 for re-arraignment or further proceedings, stating: “In the circumstances of this case and in the interest of justice, the case is adjourned for re-arraignment and/or further proceedings.”

The retrial stems from a January 16 ruling by the Supreme Court, which set aside an earlier judgement of the Court of Appeal that had dismissed the charges against Lamido and others on jurisdictional grounds. The apex court reinstated the decision of Justice Ojukwu, who had earlier overruled the defendants’ no-case submission and ordered them to open their defence.

Lamido is facing a 37-count charge bordering on alleged abuse of office and money laundering during his tenure as governor between 2007 and 2015. The EFCC alleges that he received kickbacks from contractors and laundered the funds, alongside his sons, Aminu and Mustapha, as well as Aminu Wada Abubakar and their companies.