BY IKUGBADI OLUWASEGUN
THE FEDERAL HIGH COURT IN ABUJA HAS FIXED APRIL 1 FOR FRESH ARRAIGNMENT OF FORMER GOVERNOR OF JIGAWA STATE, SULE LAMIDO FOR HIS FRESH ARRAIGNMENT IN THE N1. 3 BILLION NAIRA CORRUPTION CHARGE BROUGHT AGAINST HIM BY THE ECONOMIC AND FINANCIAL CRIMES COMMISSION EFCC.
JUSTICE PETER LIFU FIXED THE NEW DATE FOLLOWING THE ABSENCE OF THE FORMER GOVERNOR AND HIS SONS IN COURT TO TAKE THEIR PLEA.
LAMIDO WILL BE REARRAINED ON THE ADJOURNED DATE ALONGSIDE HIS TWO SONS, AMINU LAMIDO AND MUSTAPHA LAMIDO WHO ALLEGEDLY COMMITTED THE FRAUD WITH THEIR FATHER THROUGH FICTITIOUS CONTRACT AWARD.
ALTHOUGH, THE FRESH ARRAIGNMENT WAS SCHEDULED TO HOLD ON FRIDAY, THEIR COUNSEL, JOE AGI SAN APOLOGIZED FOR THEIR NOT BEING IN COURT EXPLAINING THAT INFORMATION ABOUT THE TRIAL CAME ON THURSDAY EVENING.
HE SAID THAT THE FORMER GOVERNOR AND HIS CHILDREN ARE RESIDENT IN KANO AND COULD NOT MAKE IT TO THE COURT BECAUSE OF THE DISTANCE AND LATENESS OF THE NOTICE OF HEARING.
HOWEVER, COUNSEL THE EFCC, CHILE OKOROMA SAN SAID HE WAS TAKEN ABACK THAT THE THREE DEFENDANTS WERE NOT IN COURT HAVING BEEN SERVED WITH THE TRIAL NOTICE.
OKOROMA SAN SAID THAT EFCC HAD WRITTEN A LETTER TO THE CHIEF JUDGE OF THE COURT, JUSTICE JOHN TSOHO DEMANDING THAT THE INITIAL TRIAL JUDGE, IJEOMA OJUKWU NOW IN CALABAR ON TRANSFER TO BE BROUGHT BACK TO ABUJA FOR THE TRIAL OF THE DEFENDANTS.
JUSTICE LIFU SAID THAT THE ISSUE OF EFCC LETTER WAS AN ADMINISTRATIVE ONE AND WOULD BE DETERMINED BY THE CHIEF JUDGE BUT FIXED APRIL 1 FOR ARRAIGNMENT.
EFCC HAD IN 2015, CHARGED LAMIDO, HIS TWO SONS AND THEIR COMPANIES BEFORE THE FEDERAL HIGH COURT IN ABUJA ON 27 COUNTS OF MONEY LAUNDERING INVOLVING 1.35 BILLION NAIRA ALLEGEDLY SIPHONED FROM THE STATE IN A MONEY LAUNDERING SCHEME.
