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Apex court dismisses appeal, says case was “doomed to fail”
The Supreme Court has affirmed the conviction of Aminu Sule Lamido, son of former Jigawa State Governor Sule Lamido, over the false declaration of foreign currency, dismissing his appeal against the forfeiture of $40,000 to the Federal Government.
In a unanimous decision delivered on Friday, a five-member panel of the apex court, led by Justice Inyang Okoro, ruled that the appeal lacked merit and upheld the judgments of the lower courts.
Justice Adamu Jauro, who delivered the lead judgment and was read by Justice Abubakar Sadiq Umar, described the appeal as “doomed to fail,” affirming the forfeiture order in favour of the Federal Government.
Background of the Case
The case dates back to December 11, 2012, when Aminu Lamido was arrested at the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport while attempting to board a flight to Cairo, Egypt. He declared $10,000 to the Nigeria Customs Service but was found to be carrying a total of $50,000 in cash.
Following his arrest, he was arraigned on February 4, 2013, before the Federal High Court in Kano on a one-count charge of false declaration of foreign currency, contrary to provisions of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act and other related laws.
Lower Court Rulings
On July 12, 2015, the trial court found him guilty and ordered that 25 per cent of the undeclared funds—amounting to $40,000—be forfeited to the Federal Government. The Court of Appeal sitting in Kaduna upheld the conviction and forfeiture order on December 7, 2015.
Unhappy with the outcome, Lamido approached the Supreme Court, urging it to set aside the decisions of the lower courts. At the final hearing, lawyers to both parties adopted their written submissions, after which the apex court reserved judgment.
Supreme Court Verdict
In its ruling, the Supreme Court held that all the issues raised in the appeal were without merit. The court affirmed that both the Federal High Court and the Court of Appeal properly evaluated the evidence before them and reached conclusions consistent with the law.
The judgment effectively brings the long-running legal battle to an end, leaving the forfeiture order intact.
