The federal high court in Abuja has scheduled April 1 for the fresh arraignment of ex-Jigawa State governor, Sule Lamido, over an alleged N1.3 billion fraud case filed by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
Justice Peter Odo Lifu fixed the date on Friday after Lamido and his two sons—Aminu Lamido and Mustapha Lamido—failed to appear in court for their plea.
The defendants are accused of diverting public funds through questionable contract deals while Lamido served as governor between 2007 and 2015.
During the proceedings, defence counsel Joe Agi (SAN) apologised for the absence of the defendants, explaining that the notice for the hearing was received late on Thursday evening.
He added that the accused persons, who live in Kano, could not travel to Abuja on short notice but promised they would appear on the next adjourned date.
However, prosecution counsel Chile Okoroma (SAN) said he was surprised that the defendants were not in court despite being served with hearing notices.
Okoroma also disclosed that the EFCC had written to the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court, John Tsoho, requesting that the former trial judge, Ijeoma Ojukwu—who was transferred to Calabar—be returned to Abuja to continue with the case.
Justice Lifu noted that the request was an administrative issue for the chief judge to decide but proceeded to adjourn the matter for arraignment.
The case dates back to 2015 when the EFCC filed a 27-count charge accusing Lamido, his sons and their companies—Bamaina Holdings Ltd and Speeds International Ltd—of laundering about N1.3 billion allegedly obtained from kickbacks tied to state contracts.
After the prosecution presented over 16 witnesses and closed its case, the defendants argued there was no evidence requiring them to open a defence.
Although the trial court dismissed the no-case submission in 2022, the Court of Appeal of Nigeria later ruled that the Abuja court lacked jurisdiction, stating that the trial should have taken place in Jigawa.
The EFCC challenged that decision at the Supreme Court of Nigeria, which in January 2026 overturned the appellate ruling and directed that the case return to the Federal High Court for continuation of the trial.