EFCC, Sule Lamido Clash Over Witness in N1.35bn Fraud Trial at Federal High Court

A disagreement broke out in court on Tuesday between former Jigawa State governor Sule Lamido and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) over a witness summoned to testify in his ongoing N1.35 billion money laundering case.

The EFCC is prosecuting Lamido alongside his sons, Aminu and Mustapha, as well as Aminu Wada Abubakar and two companies over alleged financial crimes.

At the resumed hearing before Justice Ijeoma Ojukwu of the Federal High Court in Abuja, the defence team requested additional time to speak with an EFCC investigator brought to court under subpoena.

However, EFCC counsel Chile Okoroma opposed the request, arguing that all documents requested by the defence had already been submitted to the court.

The judge suspended proceedings for one hour to allow the defence to meet with the witness. When the hearing resumed, the witness told the court he was not part of the team that investigated the case, saying he had only been instructed to search for documents listed in the subpoena.

Defence counsel Joe Agi argued that the witness could not provide useful evidence as he had no direct knowledge of the case, and urged the EFCC to produce a more relevant witness. The prosecution disagreed, maintaining that the EFCC is a corporate body and any qualified staff member could represent the agency.

Justice Ojukwu advised the defence to formally apply if it wished to recall a specific witness who had earlier appeared in court. The court admitted the subpoenaed documents as evidence and adjourned the case until June 4 for continuation.

Sources: Daily Post