Sule Lamido’s Son Loses Supreme Court Appeal, Forfeits Undeclared $40,000 to FG
The Supreme Court has today dismissed an appeal filed by Aminu Sule Lamido, son of former Jigawa State Governor Sule Lamido, effectively sealing the forfeiture of $40,000 in undeclared cash to the Federal Government.
The apex court’s decision affirms the earlier judgments of both the Federal High Court and the Court of Appeal, bringing a final close to the legal battle that began over a decade ago.
Quick Read
- The Verdict: The Supreme Court unanimously dismissed Aminu Lamido’s appeal for lacking merit, ruling that the forfeiture order stands.
- The Offense: Aminu was convicted for failing to declare a total of $50,000 at the Kano International Airport in 2012. He declared only $10,000 while hiding the remaining $40,000.
- The Penalty: He must forfeit 25% of the undeclared sum to the Federal Government as stipulated by the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act.
- Bigger Trouble: In a separate ruling today, the Supreme Court also ordered the continuation of the ₦1.35 billion fraud trial involving his father, Sule Lamido, and his two sons, which had previously been stalled.
Detailed Story: “Appeal Doomed to Fail”
ABUJA — The long arm of the law has finally caught up with Aminu Sule Lamido. In a unanimous judgment delivered this morning, a five-member panel of the Supreme Court, led by Justice John Inyang Okoro, upheld his conviction for false declaration of foreign currency.
The lead judgment, prepared by Justice Adamu Jauro and read by Justice Abubakar Sadiq Umar, described the appeal as “doomed to fail”. The court found no reason to tamper with the concurrent findings of the two lower courts, which had earlier found him guilty.
How It Started
The case dates back to December 11, 2012, when Aminu was arrested by operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) at the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport.
- He was en route to Cairo, Egypt.
- While he formally declared the statutory limit of $10,000 to the Nigeria Customs Service, a physical search revealed he had hidden an additional $40,000.
The Legal Battle
Aminu was arraigned before the Federal High Court in Kano, which convicted him on July 12, 2015. The trial judge ordered him to forfeit 25% of the undeclared $40,000 to the Federal Government.
Dissatisfied, Aminu approached the Court of Appeal in Kaduna. However, in December 2015, the appellate court dismissed his appeal and upheld the lower court’s decision. His final attempt to overturn the verdict at the Supreme Court has now met the same fate today.
Double Blow for the Lamido Family
The forfeiture ruling was not the only bad news for the Lamido family today.
In a separate judgment, the Supreme Court also set aside a previous Court of Appeal decision that had discharged former Governor Sule Lamido and his two sons (including Aminu) from a ₦1.35 billion money laundering charge.
The apex court ordered that their trial must continue before the Federal High Court in Abuja, ruling that they have a case to answer regarding the alleged laundering of funds received as kickbacks from contractors during Sule Lamido’s tenure as governor