Fred Ajudua bail application denied by Lagos High Court over pending Supreme Court cases. Court adjourns fraud trial involving over $1 million to October

Fred Ajudua bail application has once again been rejected by the Lagos High Court sitting in Ikeja, where the embattled businessman is facing trial for allegedly defrauding a Palestinian national of over $1 million.

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Justice Mojisola Dada of the Special Offences Division ruled on Wednesday that she was “constrained” from granting bail due to ongoing related proceedings at the Supreme Court.

Ajudua, who appeared in court accompanied by medical personnel from the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH), sought bail on health grounds, citing chronic kidney disease.

His lawyer, Olalekan Ojo (SAN), argued the plea was separate from the matters before the Supreme Court. However, EFCC counsel Seidu Atteh countered, asserting that only the apex court had jurisdiction given the pending appeals.

“In view of the applications filed at the Supreme Court, I am constrained to make any decision with respect to this instant application,” Justice Dada stated.

The court adjourned the case to October 10, October 31, and November 20 for continuation of trial.

The Fred Ajudua bail application forms part of a long-running legal saga dating back to 2005. Ajudua is accused of using false pretenses to obtain $1,043,000 from Palestinian businessman Zad Abu Zalaf.

EFCC’s third witness, investigator Afanda Bashir Emmanuel, testified that the case came to the Commission from the police and that various agencies, including CBN and NNPCL, were contacted during investigations.

A dispute arose during the presentation of documents. While the defence objected to their admissibility, claiming they were uncertified, two documents were admitted while two others were rejected by the court.

Ajudua’s case, which has shifted across multiple judges and seen frequent delays, was initially heard by Justice Morenike Obadina before moving to Justices Josephine Oyefeso and later Dada.

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Though Ajudua was granted bail by the Court of Appeal in 2018, the Supreme Court reversed that decision, affirming that the trial should continue under Justice Dada.