The Supreme Court of Nigeria on Friday, May 5, 2025, delivered a decisive ruling revoking the bail earlier granted to Lagos socialite Fred Ajudua and ordered that he be remanded in a correctional centre pending the continuation of his trial for alleged fraud.
The apex court’s decision followed an appeal filed by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) challenging the judgment of the Court of Appeal, Lagos Division, which on September 10, 2018, had granted bail to Ajudua. The EFCC had contended that granting bail was inappropriate given the nature and history of the case.
Ajudua is standing trial for allegedly defrauding a Palestinian businessman, Zad Abu Zalaf, of the sum of $1,043,000 (One Million, Forty-Three Thousand United States Dollars) under fraudulent circumstances. According to the EFCC, the funds were obtained under false pretenses, a violation of Nigerian criminal law.
The trial, which commenced in 2005 before Justice M.O. Obadina of the Lagos State High Court sitting in Ikeja, faced significant delays over the years. Ajudua was accused of using various legal tactics and procedural maneuvers to stall proceedings, resulting in protracted litigation and multiple reassignments of the case. After Justice Obadina, the case was transferred to Justice J.E. Oyefeso and later to Justice M.A. Dada, before whom Ajudua was eventually arraigned on June 4, 2018.
Following the High Court’s initial refusal to grant bail, Ajudua appealed to the Court of Appeal, Lagos, which overruled the lower court and granted him bail. Dissatisfied with this ruling, the EFCC approached the Supreme Court in suit number SC/51C/2019 to set aside the appellate court’s judgment. The Commission also filed a second appeal (SC/912C/2018) contesting a ruling by the Court of Appeal that had ordered the transfer of the case from Justice Dada to a different judge for a fresh trial (de novo).
Delivering judgment on both appeals, Justice Chioma Nwosu-Iheme ruled in favor of the EFCC. The Supreme Court set aside the Court of Appeal’s decision to grant bail, reinstated the ruling of Justice Dada which denied bail, and ordered that Fred Ajudua be remanded in custody. Additionally, the court directed the Chief Judge of Lagos State to reassign the case back to Justice Dada for the continuation of the trial without restarting proceedings.
In relation to the second appeal (SC/912C/2018), the Supreme Court held that the matter had become academic as the relief sought — which pertained to the transfer of the case for a fresh trial — had been overtaken by subsequent developments.
This ruling marks a significant development in the long-running legal battle involving Ajudua, whose trial has spanned nearly two decades marked by delays and complex litigation strategies.
