The Supreme Court, on Friday, affirmed the conviction of 44-year-old Aminu Sule Lamido, son of former Jigawa State Governor Sule Lamido, for failing to declare $40,000 found on him at the airport in Kano in 2012.
A five-member panel of the Supreme Court delivered the unanimous judgement dismissing Aminu’s appeal challenging his conviction by the Federal High Court in Kano.
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In the lead judgement written by Adamu Jauro but read by Abubakar Umar, the court held that Aminu’s appeal lacked merit.
After resolving all the three central issues in the case against him, the court affirmed the earlier judgement of the Court of Appeal, Kaduna, which had upheld the decision of the Federal High Court, Kano.
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It was a double whammy for Lamidos, particularly Aminu, on Friday, with the Supreme Court earlier delivering a judgement reversing their acquittal in a separate money laundering trial.
Former Governor Lamido and his two sons, including Aminu, are among the defendants in the trial in which they earlier secured an acquittal handed down by the Court of Appeal in July 2023.
PREMIUM TIMES earlier reported that the Supreme Court held on Friday that they had a case to answer in the money laundering trial involving allegations of diverting N1.35 billion belonging to Jigawa State while Mr Lamido was governor, and ordered them to return to the Federal High Court in Abuja to continue facing trial.
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The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) is the prosecuting agency in the N1.35 billion diversion and undeclared $40,000 cases, both of which were brought under the money laundering law.
Background
Aminu was arrested on 11 December 2012 at the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport in Kano over false currency declaration allegations as he prepared to travel to Cairo, Egypt.
Prosecutors said he declared $10,000 to the Nigeria Customs Service but was found with an additional $40,000 that was not disclosed on his currency declaration form.
EFCC charged Aminu, who was 34 years old at the time, before the Federal High Court in Kano with one count brought under the Money Laundering Act.
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In July 2015, the trial court convicted him and ordered him to forfeit 25 per cent of the undeclared sum to the federal government.
Mr Lamido appealed the conviction at the Court of Appeal in Kaduna. In December 2015, the appellate court dismissed his appeal and upheld the decision of the trial court.
Dissatisfied with the rulings of the lower courts, he approached the Supreme Court, seeking to overturn his conviction and set aside the forfeiture order.
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