Nigeria’s Supreme Court has dismissed the final appeal filed by Aminu Sule Lamido, son of former Jigawa State Governor Sule Lamido, affirming his conviction for failing to declare $40,000 in foreign currency while attempting to leave the country.
In a unanimous judgment delivered on Friday, January 16, 2026, a five-member panel of the apex court ruled that the appeal lacked merit and upheld the decisions of both the Court of Appeal in Kaduna and the Federal High Court in Kano, which had earlier found Lamido guilty.
The Supreme Court held that the lower courts properly evaluated the evidence before them and correctly applied the law, leaving no basis for overturning the conviction.
Airport Arrest, Undeclared Cash
Lamido was arrested on December 11, 2012, by operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) at the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport while preparing to board a flight to Cairo, Egypt.
Prosecutors told the court that Lamido declared $10,000 to officials of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS)—the maximum amount allowed without disclosure under Nigerian law. However, further checks allegedly uncovered an additional $40,000 concealed in his possession, which he failed to declare on the currency declaration form.
The EFCC subsequently charged him before the Federal High Court in Kano on a one-count charge of false declaration of foreign currency, an offence under the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act.
Lower Courts Agreed
In a judgment delivered on July 12, 2015, the trial court convicted Lamido and ordered the forfeiture of 25 percent of the undeclared sum to the Federal Government.
Lamido challenged the ruling at the Court of Appeal in Kaduna, arguing that the conviction was unsustainable and that the forfeiture order should be set aside. But in December 2015, the appellate court dismissed the appeal in its entirety, affirming the trial court’s findings.
Undeterred, Lamido took the case to the Supreme Court, seeking to overturn both judgments. The apex court’s decision on Friday effectively ends the 13-year legal battle.
A Broader Signal
Legal analysts say the ruling reinforces the judiciary’s stance on financial disclosure violations at Nigeria’s borders, particularly in cases involving politically connected individuals.
With the Supreme Court’s decision, Lamido’s conviction stands, closing one of the country’s longest-running foreign-currency declaration cases and underscoring the legal consequences of breaching Nigeria’s anti-money laundering laws.
