My Son Did Not Launder Money For Me, Says Lamido

GOVERNOR Sule Lamido of Jigawa State has rebuffed the allegation that his son, who was arrested at the Aminu Kano International Airport on Tuesday night, has made several foreign trips to launder money on his behalf.

This was contained in a statement signed by the Director of Press to the Governor, Umar Kiyari Jitau, which was made available to The Guardian in Dutse Thursday. The statement, which was titled: “EFCC, my son Aminu Sule Lamido and money laundering”, acknowledged the arrest of the governor’s son with $50,000.

Lamido, however, flayed the anti-graft agency for allegedly furnishing the media with falsehood that his son had embarked on several trips abroad on money laundering mission at his instance.

“The impression the EFCC gave to the media that he has been making several trips abroad on money laundering on my behalf is therefore false and mischievous to that extent,” the governor said. “I have read from the media that my son, Aminu Sule Lamido, has been arrested at Mallam Aminu Kano Airport for carrying $50,000 on his way to Egypt.”

According to the statement, the younger Lamido had a daughter born with spinal chord problem and was taken to Cleopatra Hospital in Cairo, Egypt, last year. The son’s aborted trip to Cairo was for that same purpose of the ailing daughter.

This explanation came Thursday against the earlier position of the embattled Aminu, who told his captors that he was on vacation even though he later changed and played the card of medical trip.