Court Again Adjourns Lamido, Sons’ N1.35bn Fraud Trial

The Federal High Court in Abuja has again adjourned the N1.35 billion fraud trial of former Jigawa State Governor Sule Lamido and his two sons after their lead defence counsel failed to appear in court.

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) is prosecuting the trio on a 37-count charge bordering on alleged money laundering, kickbacks and fraudulent contract awards linked to Lamido’s tenure as governor between 2007 and 2015.

Defence counsel O.F. Ekegba told Justice Ijeoma Ojukwu that Agi travelled to Germany to meet a witness and had taken the case file and relevant documents with him. He assured the court the defence would conclude its case within three days if granted a September hearing date.

Although prosecution counsel Chile Okoroma (SAN) said the EFCC was only served with the defence’s affidavit of facts on Tuesday morning, he did not oppose the adjournment after the defence’s undertaking.

Justice Ojukwu subsequently adjourned the matter to a date in September 2026, to be communicated to both parties.

The latest adjournment came a day after the trial was also stalled due to Agi’s absence.

On Monday, the senior lawyer informed the court he was unable to attend because he required surgery. Lamido and his sons have pleaded not guilty to the charges.