Supreme Court Upholds Lamido’s Son Conviction Over $40,000 Undeclared Cash

The Supreme Court of Nigeria has rejected the appeal of Aminu Sule Lamido, son of former Jigawa State Governor Sule Lamido, challenging his conviction for failing to declare $40,000 at the airport.

In a unanimous ruling on Friday by a five-member panel, the apex court dismissed all three issues raised in the appeal, declaring it without merit.

The lead judgment, authored by Justice Adamu Jauro and read by Justice Abubakar Umar, upheld the earlier decision of the Court of Appeal, Kaduna Division, which had affirmed Aminu Lamido’s conviction by the Federal High Court, Kano.

The Supreme Court agreed with the lower courts that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) had sufficiently proven the charges against him, which included failing to declare foreign currency and making false declarations at the airport, in violation of financial regulations.

In its July 12, 2015 judgment, the Federal High Court, Kano, convicted Aminu Lamido and ordered the forfeiture of 25 percent of the undeclared funds to the Federal Government. The Court of Appeal had previously upheld this ruling, leading Lamido to seek relief from the Supreme Court. The apex court, however, ruled there was no reason to overturn the consistent findings of the lower courts.