Lamido, 2 sons get bail

A Federal High Court in Abuja, on Tuesday, granted bail, on self-recognition, to former ‎Gov. Sule Lamido of Jigawa‎ and his two sons charged with money laundering.

Lamido, his sons, Mustapha and Aminu, and one Abubakar Wada, were arraigned on a 24-count charge of laundering N1.35billion belonging to the State when he was governor.

They were initially arraigned by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) before Justice Evelyn Anyadike of the Federal High Court, Kano, who remanded them in prison without hearing their application for bail.

The application for bail was transferred to Abuja for determination.

Ruling on it, Justice Gabriel Kolawole ordered Lamido to surrender all his travelling documents to the court’s Deputy Chief Registrar.

Kolawole also granted bail to Mustapha and Aminu, and their alleged accomplice, Wada, each in the sum of N25 million and two sureties.

The court also ordered that of the two sureties for each accused, one must be a civil servant not below grade level 16.

The judge also ordered that if one of the sureties is into private business, he must show evidence of tax payment in the last three years and deposit his passport photograph with the court.

EFCC specifically accused Lamido of collecting kickbacks from contractors in the state, with the funds allegedly paid into accounts that were managed by his sons.