A fresh bail application was filed for Fred Ajudua

In a recent court case, a fresh bail application was filed for Fred Ajudua, who is facing a $1.04 million fraud charge. Justice Mojisola Dada of the Special Offences Court in Ikeja, Lagos, denied the application on the grounds that there is a related case with the Supreme Court that needs to be resolved first. Ajudua, who is accused of defrauding a Palestinian businessman named Zad Abu Zalaf, had his bail application presented by his counsel, Olalekan Ojo, SAN, who claimed it was on medical grounds. Despite the defendant's presence in court with medical personnel from LUTH, the prosecution, represented by S.H. Atteh, argued against granting bail, pointing out that the matter is already before the Supreme Court.

The case involves the transfer of Ajudua's investigation from the Nigeria Police to the EFCC between 2005 and 2011, and the subsequent forensic analysis of documents connected to the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), and the Nigerian Chamber of Commerce. PW3, an EFCC operative named Bashir Emmanuel Afanda, testified about the investigation process and the correspondence with these institutions. However, the court only admitted Exhibits P1 and P2, while rejecting the forensic report and CBN documents due to lack of proper authorship and foundation by the prosecution.

The trial was adjourned to October 10, October 31, and November 20, 2025, for further proceedings. The outcome of the Supreme Court's decision on the related matters will likely influence the direction of this case.