Mustapha Lamido Rejects Bribery and Money Laundering Charges

Mustapha Lamido, the son of former Jigawa Governor Sule Lamido, denied the bribery and money laundering charges against him, his father, and others. This happened on Tuesday in Abuja at the Federal High Court. The case is being handled by trial judge Ijeoma Ojukwu.

Mustapha is the third defendant in this case. He gave his testimony as the fifth defence witness. The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) is prosecuting the ex-governor and his two sons, Aminu and Mustapha, over money laundering charges amounting to N1.35 billion.

Other defendants include Aminu Abubakar, Bamaina Company Nigeria Ltd, Bamaina Aluminium Ltd, Speeds International Ltd, and Batholomew Darlington Agoha, who are the 4th to 8th defendants.

The EFCC claims in the 37 charges that Mr Lamido misused his position as governor from 2007 to 2015. The commission accused him of laundering money received as kickbacks from companies that got contracts from the Jigawa State Government during his tenure. The defendants have pleaded not guilty to all the charges.

In his testimony on Tuesday, Mustapha, who was led by defence lawyer Joe Agi, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), stated that all the claims in the 37 charges were false. He explained that all sub-contracts awarded by Dantata and Sawoe Construction Company to their companies were properly executed and paid for.

Mustapha denied that the millions of naira mentioned in the charges were paid as bribes to his father, the former governor. He mentioned that although his father was a director in the companies, he managed them without his father's interference. He bid for sub-contracts with Dantata and Sawoe to supply bitumen and diesel among other things.

When Mr Agi questioned him about each charge, he rejected all the allegations. "Was it the first defendant (Sule Lamido) who asked you to supply products to Dantata and Sawoe?" the lawyer asked. Mustapha replied, "No my Lord. I have been a businessman all my life."

He told the court that he began selling cars while in university in 2002. He borrowed N1 million from his father to start the business. "Speeds International Ltd that I run, I sell cars. I took a night bus from Kano to Lagos without my father's knowledge then to Birnin Republic to purchase cars," he said.

He added that his father introduced him to the late Aminu Dantata before Sule became governor of Jigawa. When asked if he was the only supplier to Dantata and Sawoe, he answered no. He insisted that all sub-contracts with Dantata were honest and genuine.

Earlier, Mustapha, who lives in Kano, mentioned that he supplies goods and services, including petroleum products. When Mr Agi asked him if he knew the other defendants, Mustapha said, "Yes, the first defendant is my beloved father. The second defendant (Aminu) is my elder brother. The fourth defendant is a family friend."

He also explained that Bamaina Company Nigeria Ltd, Bamaina Aluminium Ltd, and Speeds International Ltd are family companies. Agoha, the 8th defendant, is a manager for all the companies. He stated that Bamaina Company Nigeria Ltd was incorporated around 1984 and started dealing in petroleum products after that.

When Mr Agi asked if he had documents to support the petroleum business, he confirmed that they do. He mentioned that during the post-election violence in 2011 in Kano, some attackers burned their head office, Bamaina Nigeria Ltd, and Bamaina Aluminium Ltd. Most documents were lost in that attack.

Mustapha said there are police extracts, court affidavits listing the companies, reports of the violence, and compensation reports from the Kano State government as proof. Judge Ojukwu accepted these documents since the prosecution lawyer, Chile Okoroma, a SAN, did not object.

When Mr Agi asked Mustapha if he tried to get new documents, he replied, "I had to go to my father's archive in my village to get the photocopies." He said they got approval from his father to build a filling station on December 20, 1984, at Bamaina Village in Birnin Kudu Local Government Area.

Some documents Mr Agi wanted to present were challenged by Mr Okoroma. He asked the court to reject them. These documents included a letter from the Directorate of Fire Service to the Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) and other letters. The judge ruled that the defence had met the legal requirements since the documents were original copies. She admitted them as evidence and marked them as Exhibits 84, 85, 86, 87, and 88.

After Mustapha was cross-examined by the EFCC lawyer, the defence finished their case. Judge Ojukwu postponed the matter until January 12, 2027, for the adoption of final written addresses.