Just a few hours after The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC granted bail to the embattled former governor of Ekiti state, Ayodele Fayose, they have re-summoned a previous legislative leader of Jigawa State, Sule Lamido, on a 43-count corrected charge verging on maltreatment of office and tax evasion before Justice Ijeoma Ojukwu of the Federal High Court, Maitama, Abuja. The case had beforehand been heard by Justices Adeniyi Ademola and Babatunde Quadri before its inevitable exchange to Justice Ojukwu by the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court, Justice Abdul Kafarati.
It would be reviewed that, Mr Lamido had prior tested the exchange of his case at the Federal High Court, Abuja from Justice Adeniyi Ademola (now resigned) to Justice Babatunde Quadri for assurance. Mr Lamido was charged alongside two of his children – Aminu Lamido and Mustapha Lamido; Aminu Wada Abubakar, Bamaina Holdings Ltd and Speeds International Ltd for supposedly cheating the state to the tune of N1.35 billion.
He purportedly manhandled his situation as governor somewhere in the range of 2007 and 2015 by granting contracts to organizations where he had enthusiasm, utilizing his two children as fronts. The previous governor was similarly affirmed to have gathered kickbacks from temporary workers in the state, with the assets purportedly paid into records that were overseen by his children. Particulars of check one of the new charge peruses:
”That you, Alhaji Sule Lamido, while being the Governor of Jigawa State, Nigeria, on or about 15th of December, 2008 within the jurisdiction of this Honorable Court in your account in the name of Bamaina Holdings (also referred to as Bamaina Holding Limited) domiciled at Unity Bank Plc, Kano, converted the sum of N14,850,000.00 (Fourteen Million Eight Hundred and Fifty Thousand Naira) being the value of Intercontinental Bank Plc (now Access Bank Plc) cheque no;00000025 paid by Dantata & Sawoe Construction Company Limited which represented the proceeds of your illegal act to wit: using your position as a public officer for gratification by purportedly obtaining contracts for company in which you have interest from Dantata & Sawoe Construction Company Nigeria Limited which was awarded contracts by Jigawa Sate Government with the aim of concealing its illicit origin and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 14(1) (a) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2004, and punishable under Section 14(1) of the same Act”.
Count forty of the charge reads: “That you, Alhaji Sule Lamido, while being the Governor of Jigawa State, Nigeria, Aminu Sule Lamido, Mustapha Sule Lamido, and Speeds International Limited on or before 26th March, 2010 within the jurisdiction of this Honorable Court retained in the account of Speeds Intl Ltd domiciled at Skye Bank Plc, Dutse the sum of N26,000,000.00 (Twenty Six Million) being the value of Skye Bank Plc cheque no.10000659 which funds you knew represented the proceeds of illegal act of Alhaji Sule Lamido who used his position as public officer for gratification by purportedly obtaining contracts for the said Speeds Intl Ltd, (a company in which he is a shareholder and director) from A.G Ferrero & Co Ltd which was awarded contracts by Jigawa State Government and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 16(a) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2004 and punishable under Section 16 of the same Act”.
