Lamido fraud trial adjourned

The trial of former Nigeria — Jigawa State Governor Sule Lamido and his two sons, Aminu and Mustapha Lamido, over an alleged N1.35 billion fraud was stalled on July 20, 2026, at the Federal High Court in Abuja due to the absence of lead defence counsel Joe Agi (SAN), who was reportedly undergoing surgery. The Nigeria — Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) is prosecuting the defendants on a 37-count charge of money laundering, kickbacks, and fictitious contract awards allegedly committed between 2007 and 2015. Prosecution counsel Chile Okoroma (SAN) argued that another member of the defence team should have appeared to avoid delay, noting the case has been pending since 2015. Justice Ijeoma Ojukwu granted a one-day adjournment to July 21, 2026. The case has a lengthy history: the Supreme Court overturned a Court of Appeal decision that had discharged the defendants on jurisdictional grounds, restoring the trial before Justice Ojukwu.