The trial of Fred Ajudua, a socialite, before Justice M.A. Dada of the Special Offences Court sitting in Ikeja, Lagos, continued on Friday, October 10, 2025, with Ajudua informing the court that he had withdrawn a motion previously filed before the Supreme Court.
Ajudua is standing trial for allegedly obtaining the sum of $ 1,043,000( One Million, Forty Three Thousand Dollars from a Palestinian, Zad Abu Zalaf, in fraudulent circumstances.
At the beginning of trial in 2005 before Justice M.O Obadina of the Lagos State High Court sitting in Ikeja, Ajudua employed several legal technicalities to stall proceeding, which made his arraignment difficult until the matter was re- assigned to Justice J. E Oyefeso and later Justice M. A Dada before whom he was arraigned on June 4, 2018.
At the resumed sitting on Friday, Ajudua’s counsel, Olalekan Ojo, SAN, stated that his client had filed a notice of withdrawal at the Supreme Court on August 22, 2025.
The motion was initially filed on June 24, 2025.
He said: “ We decided to withdraw the motion we filed at the Supreme Court to allow this Honourable Court to deliver its ruling on the bail application.”
He also submitted an affidavit and a copy of the notice of withdrawal to the court.
Ojo noted that although his client is battling chronic kidney disease and severe hypertension, he insisted on appearing in court to comply with his legal undertakings.
He, therefore, urged the court to proceed with its ruling on the bail application originally scheduled for July 3, 2025, which had been stalled due to the appeal before the Supreme Court.
Responding, the prosecution counsel, Seidu Atteh, however, argued that the court should await a formal pronouncement from the Supreme Court.
“When you file a motion before the court, it is given a number. The applicant has the right to withdraw, but they must wait for a Supreme Court ruling,” he argued.
Atteh also confirmed that the prosecution had filed a counter-affidavit and a written address on September 26, 2025.
Thereafter, the third prosecution witness, Afanda Bashir Emmanuel, an investigator with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), was cross-examined by the defence.
During cross-examination , Emmanuel
testified that he first met Ajudua in 2005 after the EFCC had been established.
He stated that the defendant’s case file was transferred from the Nigerian Police Force’s Special Fraud Unit to the EFCC’s Advance Fee Fraud Section.
According to him, the EFCC had reached out to multiple institutions, including the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), and its own forensic lab, during the course of investigations.
The witness also confirmed interviewing the nominal complainant, Zad Abu Zalaf, and one Michel Opkema.
He said he visited Ajudua at the Kirikiri Maximum Security Prison and had documented proof of the visit.
He added that the statements Ajudua gave to the Police formed part of the EFCC’s investigation report.
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The case was adjourned till October 31, 2025, for continuation of trial.
