The re-arraignment of former Jigawa State governor Sule Lamido, his two sons, and their companies on N1.35 billion money laundering charges did not hold on Wednesday as planned. Judge Peter Lifu of the Federal High Court in Abuja adjourned the case to 30 April after prosecution lawyer Chile Okoroma, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), informed the court that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) was still awaiting a response from Chief Judge John Tsoho on a request to reassign the case to former trial judge Ijeoma Ojukwu. The EFCC has prosecuted the defendants since 2015 over allegations of receiving kickbacks from Jigawa State contracts during Lamido's tenure as governor from 2007 to 2015. The Supreme Court ordered a retrial on 16 January, overturning the Court of Appeal's 25 July 2023 decision that had upheld the defendants' no-case submissions and dismissed the charges.
Judge Lifu questioned the EFCC's request, noting that the Chief Judge had assigned him the matter and expressing concern over recalling a judge now posted to Calabar. Defence lawyer Joe Agi, also a SAN, opposed a two-week adjournment sought by the prosecution, proposing the end of April instead. Okoroma argued that the case, which has seen 17 prosecution witnesses, should move swiftly. Lamido, dressed in a sky blue babaringa, appeared calm and smiling in the dock. After court, Agi stated that the defence was ready to call its own witnesses and expressed confidence in winning the case.
Sule Lamido walking into court with a smile after nine years of legal motion underscores how Nigeria's anti-corruption cases often become endurance contests rather than justice processes. The EFCC's continued reliance on procedural requests—like recalling a judge transferred to Calabar—reveals institutional strain, not strength. When a case from 2015 still hasn't reached defence arguments, it signals that accountability is buried under judicial delays. For Nigerians, this is less about guilt or innocence than the slow erosion of faith in prosecution timelines.
