Former Sule Lamido, a one time governor of Jigawa State, and his two sons are set to face fresh arraignment over an alleged N1.35 billion fraud case.
The Federal High Court in Abuja fixed April 1 for the arraignment.
Justice Peter Lifu announced the new date after the defendants failed to appear in court on Friday.
Lamido and his sons, Aminu Lamido and Mustapha Lamido, are accused of fraud linked to alleged fictitious contract awards during Lamido’s time as governor.
Their lawyer, Joe Agi, told the court the family could not attend because the hearing notice was received late on Thursday.
However, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission said the defendants had been properly served with the court process.
EFCC counsel Chile Okoroma also informed the court that the commission had requested the return of the original trial judge, Ijeoma Ojukwu, who is currently serving in Calabar.
Justice Lifu said the administrative issue would be handled by the Chief Judge but maintained April 1 for the arraignment.
The EFCC first filed the case in 2015, accusing Lamido, his sons, and their companies of laundering about N1.35 billion allegedly diverted from Jigawa State through fraudulent schemes.
