The Special Offences Court in Ikeja, Lagos, has adjourned indefinitely the trial of Fred Ajudua over an alleged $1,043,000 fraud.
The matter was before Justice Mojisola Dada.
Ajudua is accused of defrauding a Palestinian national, Zad Abu Zalaf, of $1,043,000 under false pretences.
The case, which dates back to 2005, has faced repeated delays due to legal technicalities employed by the defendant.
Initially handled by Justice M.O. Obadina, the matter was later reassigned to Justices J.E. Oyefeso and M.A. Dada, before Ajudua was arraigned on June 4, 2018.
After being denied bail by Justice Dada, Ajudua appealed to the Lagos Division of the Court of Appeal, which granted him bail on September 10, 2018.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, subsequently appealed to the Supreme Court and filed a separate suit challenging the transfer of the case to another judge to commence afresh.
The Supreme Court ruled in favour of the EFCC, ordering the case to return to Justice Dada for speedy trial.
At Monday’s proceedings, Ajudua’s lead counsel, Olalekan Ojo, SAN, informed the court that a recent Court of Appeal judgment delivered on January 30, 2026, granted bail to the defendant and directed that the substantive suit be remitted to another court to start de novo.
Ojo argued that, based on the appellate ruling, the current court no longer had jurisdiction and the case should be reassigned by the Chief Judge of Lagos State.
“Until that judgment is set aside, the court must act on it,” he said.
Prosecuting counsel, S.K. Atteh, countered that the Court of Appeal judgment did not contain any order transferring the case to another court.
He added that the defendant’s counsel had filed a motion at the Court of Appeal seeking clarification on the issue, which is pending.
Following submissions from both sides, Justice Dada adjourned the trial sine die (indefinitely), leaving the next steps dependent on the reassignment and interpretation of the appellate judgment.
Alleged $1.043m fraud: Fred Ajudua’s trial adjourned indefinitely