The eagerly anticipated arraignment of Aminu Lamido, son of Jigawa State governor, Sule Lamido, before a Federal High Court sitting in Kano, Kano State was stalled on Wednesday following the absence of trial judge, Justice Shehu Yahaya. The younger Lamido had been brought to court by operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) since about 8.45am.
But more than an hour later, Deputy Chief Registrar of the Court announced that the unavailability of the judge and promised to communicate a new date for the arraignment to the parties. He gave no reason for the judge’s absence. Aminu is facing a one-count charge of money laundering, after he was arrested by EFCC on 12th December 2012 at the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport, Kano, on his way to Egypt, for failing to declare the $50,000 on him to Customs as required under Section 12 of the Foreign Exchange (Monitoring and Miscellaneous Provisions) Act Cap F 34 Laws of the federation of Nigeria 2004 and Section 2(3) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2011, thereby committing an offence punishable under Section 2(5) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2011.
The same Aminu Sule only recently escaped another court case after snuffing life out of a middle-aged man in a road accident. He was initially arrested and was due to be prosecuted but the Kano State Police Command later released him after parents of victim of the car crash were convinced to renege on an earlier plan to press legal charges against him.
