Nigeria’s highest court has brought to a close the legal battle of Aminu Sule Lamido, son of a former Jigawa State governor, over his conviction for currency declaration offences.
In a decisive ruling delivered on Friday, the Supreme Court threw out Lamido’s appeal, holding that there was no basis to overturn his conviction for failing to declare $40,000 at the airport and for making a false declaration of foreign currency. The offences were prosecuted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
The five-man panel of the apex court was unanimous in its decision. All three issues raised by the appellant for the court’s consideration were resolved against him, effectively ending his challenge to the lower courts’ findings.
Justice Adamu Jauro authored the lead judgment, which was read in open court by Justice Abubakar Umar. The court held that the appeal lacked merit and therefore dismissed it in its entirety.
By this ruling, the Supreme Court affirmed the earlier judgment of the Court of Appeal sitting in Kaduna, which had upheld the decision of the Federal High Court in Kano that found Lamido guilty of the charges.
With the dismissal of the appeal, the conviction secured by the EFCC remains intact, reinforcing the court’s position on compliance with Nigeria’s foreign currency declaration laws at points of entry and exit.
