JUST-IN: Supreme Court Upholds Conviction Of Lamido’s Son Over Undeclared $40,000

The Supreme Court of Nigeria has upheld the conviction of Aminu Sule Lamido, son of former Jigawa State governor, Sule Lamido, for failing to declare $40,000 while departing the country and for making a false declaration of foreign currency.

A five-member panel of the apex court delivered the unanimous judgement on Friday, January 16, 2026, dismissing Aminu’s appeal and affirming the concurrent decisions of the Court of Appeal in Kaduna and the Federal High Court in Kano.

The court held that the appeal lacked merit, describing the appellant’s arguments as “devoid of substance” and upholding the full judgement of the lower courts.

LEADERSHIP reports that Aminu was first convicted by the Federal High Court in Kano on July 12, 2015, after the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) arraigned him on charges bordering on money laundering and false declaration of currency.

The trial court found him guilty of not declaring $40,000 at the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport (MAKIA) in Kano while attempting to board an international flight. It ordered the forfeiture of 25 per cent of the undeclared amount, equivalent to $10,000 to the Federal Government.

The conviction was subsequently affirmed by the Court of Appeal, Kaduna Division, prompting Aminu’s final appeal to the Supreme Court.

Delivering its verdict, the apex court ruled that both the Federal High Court and the Court of Appeal properly evaluated the evidence before them and reached sound conclusions in law and fact.