Supreme Court Showdown Looms As EFCC Moves To Revoke Ajudua’s Bail In $1.043m Fraud Case

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has approached the Supreme Court of Nigeria seeking an order to revoke the bail granted to Lagos socialite, Fred Chijindu Ajudua, by the Court of Appeal of Nigeria sitting in Lagos.
In a notice of appeal dated February 20, 2026, and filed at the apex court in Abuja, the anti-graft agency is challenging the entire ruling of January 30, 2026, which admitted Ajudua to bail.
Through its counsel, S.K. Atteh, the Commission argued that the Court of Appeal erred in law when it dismissed the prosecution’s preliminary objection and proceeded to grant bail. According to the EFCC, the appellate court failed to properly interpret an earlier judgment of the Supreme Court delivered on May 9, 2025, in related appeals involving Ajudua.
The Commission contended that the apex court had effectively foreclosed any further consideration of bail when it ordered that the defendant remain in custody pending the speedy trial of the charge. It faulted the Court of Appeal for holding that the Supreme Court did not order Ajudua’s continued detention, describing the position as contrary to the doctrine of judicial hierarchy and the constitutional finality of Supreme Court decisions.
At the heart of the dispute is the interpretation of portions of the Supreme Court’s judgment addressing the relationship between jurisdiction and bail. The EFCC maintained that the issue of bail had been conclusively determined and could not be revisited by a lower court.
It further argued that by granting fresh bail, the appellate court violated Sections 235 and 275(1) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), which make decisions of the Supreme Court final and binding on all lower courts.
Medical Grounds Under Fire
The anti-graft agency also challenged the appellate court’s reliance on a medical report dated November 19, 2025, presented as evidence of changed circumstances warranting bail.
The EFCC claimed Ajudua had been diagnosed with kidney-related ailments since 1987 and had repeatedly relied on the condition to delay his trial since the charge was filed in 2005. It alleged inconsistencies in medical reports issued by the same consultant and argued that the appellate court failed to properly evaluate the evidence before granting bail.
The Commission warned that allowing Ajudua to remain on bail could frustrate the Supreme Court’s directive for speedy trial, citing an earlier instance in which only one prosecution witness was called over an extended period while the defendant was on bail.
The EFCC is therefore urging the apex court to revoke the bail granted on January 30, 2026, and restore the trial court’s November 20, 2025 ruling which refused bail.
No hearing date has yet been fixed at the Supreme Court.
Ajudua is currently standing trial for allegedly defrauding Palestinian businessman, Zad Abu Zalaf, of $1.043 million.