A former Jigawa State Governor, Sule Lamido, has traveled to Germany for medical check-up, four years after the court seized his international passport while undergoing corruption litigation.
Mr Lamido’s press assistant, Mansur Ahmad, said a high court in Abuja gave the former governor authorization to travel.
“After attending court over 47 times, he has been finally granted permission to access his international passport and he has gone to Germany for medical check-up. From there, he will proceed to Saudi Arabia for lesser hajj. He has not been to hajj for five years; until now.”
Mr Lamido and his son, Mustapha, left Nigeria for Germany at 10 p.m. at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport Abuja on Saturday.
The Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC) is prosecuting the former governor on an amended charge of 43-count bordering on office abuse and money laundering. He is charged with awarding contracts to firms in which he has an interest, using his two children as fronts between 2007 and 2015 during his term in office.
Mr Ahmad recalled that on June 13, 2015, the former governor received a letter from the EFCC inviting him to question his Abuja office on contracts given by his administration to certain firms when he was governor of Jigawa.
Three days later, on 16 June 2015, Mr Lamido reported to the EFCC and was arrested two days before being transferred to the zonal office of Kano EFCC, where he was charged before a Federal High Court.
He was subsequently remanded in prison in Kurmawa, where he spent three working days. From there, he was moved from a vacation judge at the Federal High Court, Abuja, to Kuje prison in Abuja where he sought bail.
Part of his bail criteria was the seizure of his international passport to prevent him from fleeing overseas. Mr Lamido has not been traveling overseas since then, until now.
