By Muhammad Mamman
Nigeria’s Supreme Court has dismissed an appeal by Aminu Sule Lamido, son of former Jigawa State Governor Sule Lamido, over his conviction for failing to declare $40,000 while travelling out of the country and for making a false currency declaration.
In a unanimous judgment delivered on Friday, January 16, 2026, a five-member panel of the apex court resolved all issues against the appellant, affirming the earlier rulings of the Court of Appeal in Kaduna and the Federal High Court in Kano.
The case dates back to July 12, 2015, when the Federal High Court found Aminu Lamido, then 34, guilty of offences brought by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). The trial court also ordered the forfeiture of 25 percent of the undeclared $40,000 to the federal government.
Lamido had challenged the conviction at the Court of Appeal, but the appellate court upheld the trial court’s decision, prompting a further appeal to the Supreme Court.
In its final ruling, the Supreme Court held that the appeal lacked merit and upheld the findings and sentences imposed by the lower courts in their entirety.
The judgment brings to a close a decade-long legal battle and reinforces Nigeria’s currency declaration laws, which require travellers to disclose cash above approved thresholds when entering or leaving the country.
