Aminu Sule Lamido, the 34-year-old son of Jigawa State Governor, Alhaji Sule Lamido, who is being prosecuted by the Economic and financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on a one-count charge of money laundering will be tried on March 18 and 19, a Federal High Court Sitting in Kano has said.
Aminu was arraigned before Justice Fatu Riman on Monday 4th February 2013 but he pleaded not guilty to the charge and was remanded in prison pending hearing of his application for bail.
At the resumed hearing today, Tuesday, Justice Riman granted him bail in the sum of N8m and two sureties in like sum. It said the sureties must be civil servants of not less than grade level of 14.
Aminu was arrested by operatives of the EFCC at the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport Kano on December 11, 2012 on his way to Cairo, Egypt, after failing to declare the $50,000 in his possession, instead declaring only $10,000 to the Nigerian Customs Service.
“That you, Aminu Sule Lamido on or about 11th day of December 2012 at the Mallam Aminu International Airport, Kano within the Jurisdiction of the Federal High Court while transporting in cash, the sum of $50,000 only from Nigeria to Cairo, Egypt, falsely declared to the Nigerian Customs the sum of $10,000 only instead of the said sum of $50,000 as required under Section 12 of the Foreign Exchange (Monitoring and Miscellaneous Provisions) Act Cap F34 Laws of the Federation of Nigeria 2004 and Section 2(3) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2011 and thereby committed an offence punishable under section 2(5) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act 2011,” his charge reads.
Only recently, Aminu Sule was close to a more serious manslaughter trial after snuffing life out of a middle-aged man in a road accident. He was arrested by the Kano State Police Command but was subsequently released on bail amid unconfirmed reports of mouthwatering promises from the governor’s family to the victim’s family.
