The special offences court in Ikeja, Lagos, has adjourned the alleged fraud trial of Fred Ajudua, a socialite, indefinitely.
Mojisola Dada, the trial judge, took the decision on Monday.
THE CASE
Ajudua is standing trial, in a case that began in 2005, for allegedly defrauding Zad Abu Zalaf, a Palestinian, of $1,043,000.
The case was initially assigned to Morenike Obadina, a judge at the Lagos high court, but arraignment did not take place.
It was later reassigned to Josephine Oyefeso, another judge, before it was reassigned again to Dada.
Ajudua was finally arraigned on June 4, 2018.
At the commencement of trial, Dada denied Ajudua’s bail application due to the delay the case had suffered.
The defendant subsequently approached the court of appeal in Lagos, which granted him bail on September 10, 2018.
However, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), which is prosecuting the case, took the matter to the supreme court.
In May 2025, the supreme court revoked the bail granted to Ajudua by the appeal court and ordered the reinstatement of the ruling of the lower court, which declined the bail application.
The apex court directed that the chief judge of Lagos reassign the case to Dada for continuation of trial.
When the case was reassigned, Ajudua filed another bail application, which was rejected by the court in November 2025.
Displeased with the rejection of the fresh bail application, the defendant approached the appeal court.
In January 2026, the court of appeal in Yola set aside the November 2025 verdict of the Lagos court and granted bail to the defendant.
The appeal court held that the trial court misapplied the May 2025 supreme court ruling in denying the defendant bail.
The appellate court ruled that the apex court did not expressly prohibit Ajudua from filing a fresh bail application.
The anti-graft agency had approached the supreme court to alter the judgment of the appeal court.
