Lamido, sons’ N1.35bn fraud trial stalled as defence counsel misses court

The trial of former Jigawa State Governor, Sule Lamido, and his two sons, Aminu and Mustapha Lamido, over an alleged N1.35 billion fraud suffered another setback on Monday after Joe Agi, lead defence counsel, failed to appear before the Federal High Court in Abuja due to medical reasons.

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) is prosecuting Lamido and his sons on a 37-count charge bordering on alleged money laundering, receipt of kickbacks and fictitious contract awards amounting to N1.35 billion.

According to the anti-graft agency, the alleged offences were committed during Lamido’s tenure as governor of Jigawa State between 2007 and 2015.

The matter came up before Ijeoma Ojukwu, Justice, at the Federal High Court, Maitama, Abuja, but proceedings could not continue following the absence of the defence’s lead counsel.

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At the commencement of proceedings, Chile Okoroma, EFCC counsel, informed the court that he had received a letter from Agi explaining that he was unable to attend court because he had undergone surgery and was recuperating.

The defence lawyer also requested an adjournment.

While wishing Agi a speedy recovery, Okoroma argued that another lawyer from the defence team ought to have appeared in court to enable the trial to proceed.

He noted that the case had remained in court since 2015 and stressed the need to avoid further delays.

The prosecution further pointed out that Ojukwu had travelled from her judicial station in Calabar, Cross River State, to Abuja specifically to hear the matter.

Okoroma therefore urged the court to grant only a one-day adjournment to minimise further delay in the long-running trial.

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Ojukwu agreed with the prosecution’s request and adjourned the case until Tuesday, July 21, 2026, for the continuation of the trial.

The EFCC alleges that the defendants engaged in financial crimes involving money laundering, kickbacks and the award of fictitious contracts during Lamido’s administration as Governor of Jigawa State.

The defendants have denied the allegations, and the trial has remained pending for over a decade.