Supreme Court sends Fred Ajudua back to Prison for alleged 30-year-old fraud

The Supreme Court has ordered the return of Lagos businessman and former socialite, Fred Ajudua, to correctional custody in connection with a fraud case dating back over 30 years.

In a unanimous judgment delivered on Friday, the apex court overturned the ruling of the Court of Appeal which had earlier granted Ajudua bail. He is currently standing trial for allegedly defrauding a German firm of \$1 million.

The Supreme Court held that the appellate court erred in law by granting the bail and directed that Ajudua be remanded in custody. It also ordered Justice Mojisola Dada of the Lagos State High Court to resume hearing of the case without delay.

Ajudua was initially charged before Justice Josephine Oyefeso of the Lagos High Court, but the case was later refiled by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and reassigned to Justice Dada.

During his re-arraignment on July 6, 2018, Justice Dada denied Ajudua bail, citing his history of delaying proceedings. She described the matter as one of the longest-running criminal trials in Lagos.

“This case is one of the oldest in Lagos State. Bail is refused and the defendant is to be remanded in prison custody,” she ruled.

Ajudua’s legal team, led by Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Olalekan Ojo, later appealed the decision, and Justice Mohammed Garba of the Appeal Court reversed the ruling, describing bail as a constitutional right and permitting Ajudua to remain under his previous bail conditions.

The EFCC, however, challenged the Appeal Court’s decision at the Supreme Court, which has now ruled in its favour, paving the way for the continuation of Ajudua’s long-standing fraud trial.