The Supreme Court will on Friday, January 16, 2026, deliver judgment in the ₦1.35 billion fraud case involving a former Governor of Jigawa State, Sule Lamido, and his son, Mustapha Lamido.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) confirmed the development on Thursday, noting that the apex court has fixed the date to rule on its appeal challenging the discharge of the defendants by the Court of Appeal.
The appeal stems from a July 25, 2023 judgment of the Court of Appeal, Abuja Division, which overturned an earlier ruling of the Federal High Court and discharged Sule Lamido and his son from the money laundering case. The EFCC is urging the Supreme Court to set aside that decision and order that the matter be returned to the trial court for continuation.
According to the anti-graft agency, the Court of Appeal erred in law by discharging the respondents, insisting that the prosecution had presented sufficient evidence to justify calling the defendants to open their defence.
The EFCC filed its notice of appeal at the Supreme Court in August 2023, arguing that the appellate court’s decision effectively terminated a trial in which the prosecution had already called more than 16 witnesses.
Sule Lamido, his son Mustapha, alongside Aminu Wada Abubakar and their companies—Bamaina Holdings Limited and Speeds International Limited—were arraigned before Justice Ijeoma Ojukwu of the Federal High Court, Abuja, on a 37-count amended charge bordering on money laundering.
The defendants were accused of diverting ₦1.35 billion in public funds, allegedly received as kickbacks from companies awarded contracts by the Jigawa State Government during Lamido’s tenure as governor between 2007 and 2015.
The trial commenced in 2015. After the EFCC closed its case, the defendants filed a no-case submission, contending that the prosecution failed to establish a prima facie case against them.
Justice Ojukwu dismissed the application, holding that the defendants had a case to answer and directing them to enter their defence. That ruling was later overturned by the Court of Appeal, leading to the discharge of Sule Lamido and his son—a decision now awaiting final determination by the Supreme Court.
