Former Governor Sule Lamido of Jigawa State, and his two sons will be facing fresh arraignment over N1.3 billion corruption charge by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC.

The presiding Judge of the Federal High Court, Abuja, Justice Peter Lifu, fixed April 1 for the fresh arraignment of Lamido by the EFCC following the absence of the former Governor and his sons in court to take their plea.

Lamido will be re arraigned on the Adjourned date alongside his two sons, Aminu Lamido and Mustapha Lamido, who allegedly committed the fraud with their father through fictitious contract award.

Although, the fresh Arraignment was scheduled to hold on Friday, their Counsel, Joe Ago, SAN, apologized for their not being in court, explaining that information about the trial came on Thursday evening.

He said that the former Governor and his children are resident in Kano and could not make it to the court because of distance and lateness of the notice of hearing.

However, Counsel to the EFCC, Chile Okoroma, SAN, said he was taken aback that the three defendants were not in court, having been served with the trial notice.

Okoroma, SAN, said that EFCC had written a letter to the Chief Judge of the Court, Justice John Tsoho, demanding that the initial trial Judge, Ijeoma Ojukwu, now in Calabar on transfer, be brought back to Abuja for the trial of the Defendants.

Justice Lifu, in his ruling, said that the issue of EFCC letter was an administrative one and would be determined by the Chief Judge, but fixed April 1 for Arraignment.

EFCC in 2015, charged Lamido, his two sons, and their companies before the Federal High Court in Abuja on 27 Counts of money laundering involving N1.35 Billion, Allegedly siphoned from the state in a money laundering scheme.