Ajudua Remanded In Kirikiri Prisons Over Alleged $1m Fraud
The court ordered that Ajudua be kept behind bars at the Kirikiri Prison until the conclusion of his trial.
According to Justice Dada, the court is convinced that admitting Ajudua to bail would further truncate his trial that has suffer series of setback since his first arraignment on March 5, 2009 before Justice Oyefeso.
She noted, “This matter has been in court for the past 25-years and it’s still ongoing. It is one of the oldest matters in court.
“The matter has suffered different set back based on different applications on the defendant’s alleged health challenge.
“The court is of the opinion that the defendant had enough time to take care of himself and he has refused to do so.
“The court will no longer tolerate unnecessary delay on this matter,” the judge held.
The court, however, ordered both the prosecuting counsel and the defence counsel to do all that is required to aid accelerated trial.
Justice Dada thereafter adjourned the matter to September 27 for continuation of trial.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) had on February 13, 2017 re-opened the charge its earlier filed against Ajudua in 2005.
In the charge, the EFCC had claimed that Ajudua, an alleged serial fraudster, and one Joseph Ochunor, an accomplice, had some time in 1993 defrauded one Ziad Abu Zalaf of Technical International Ltd., a company based in Germany of $1m.
The fraud case had earlier been struck out by Justice Morenikeji Obadina in 2009 for want of diligent prosecution after Ajudua failed to make an appearance in court on 24 occasions.
Ajudua was re-arraigned before Justice Mojisola Dada on 12 count charges bordering on conspiracy and fraud.
He, however, pleaded not guilty to all the count charge.