The Supreme Court of Nigeria has dismissed the appeal of Aminu Sule Lamido, son of former Jigawa State Governor Sule Lamido, confirming his conviction for failing to declare $40,000 in cash and making a false declaration of foreign currency when leaving the country.
A five-member panel of the apex court delivered a unanimous judgment on Friday, ruling that Aminu Lamido’s appeal lacked merit. The court held that the lower courts—the Federal High Court in Kano and the Court of Appeal in Kaduna—properly assessed the evidence and correctly applied the law.
Aminu was arrested on December 11, 2012, at Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) while attempting to board a flight to Cairo, Egypt. He had declared only $10,000 to Nigeria Customs Service officials, but authorities discovered an additional $40,000 that was not disclosed.
The EFCC charged him before the Federal High Court for false declaration of foreign currency, an offense under the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act. On July 12, 2015, the court convicted Aminu and ordered the forfeiture of 25% of the undeclared sum to the federal government.
His appeal at the Court of Appeal in Kaduna was dismissed on December 7, 2015, upholding the lower court’s decision. Unsatisfied, Aminu approached the Supreme Court, which has now fully upheld the convictions, ending the long-running legal case.
