Admin l Thursday, Dec.06, 2018
IKEJA, Lagos, Nigeria – Hoodlums believed to be loyal to a serial fraudster, Fred Ajudua, on Monday assaulted staff of Channels Television in the premises of Ikeja High Court. The, Channels staff, (cameraman) by the name Moses Orim was trying to capture Ajudua’s face as he exited the court premises, but he was beaten up by the hoodlums and his shirt torn.
One of the perpetrators of the assault used an umbrella to cover Ajudua’s face so that Orim would not have the visual image of the defendant. The hoodlums were able to perpetrate the act with the help of some prison officers whom our correspondent learnt were Ajudua’s loyalist in the prison.
Two armed prison personnel protected Ajudua thugs from being arrested as they led them to a private vehicle that whisked them away. Earlier at the proceedings, the trial of Ajudua was stalled as his counsel failed to appear for the trial before the Special Offences Court where Ajudua is facing a criminal charge for allegedly defrauding a German, Zaid Zalaf of Technical International Limited in Germany of $1.046m.
Two days later in thesame court premise, a lady, called Gina, said to be Ajudua’s sister allegedly threatened another Channel staff, this time, the reporter for daring to film Ajudua after her cameraman was assaulted on Monday. She was said to have cast a scornful look at the reporter and said: ” You are here again, you no dey fear to die?”, a source present when he appeared in court told our reporter.
Justice Mojisola Dada at the last proceedings had fixed today for the continuation of the case filed against Ajudua by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission over alleged $550,000 fraud in 1993. The EFCC prosecutor, Seidu Atteh, informed the court that he had received a letter from the defendant counsel praying the court for the vacation of Monday and Tuesday’s dates.
“My lord this matter is stated for the continuation of trial and we have our witness in court. He came all the way from London but I received a letter from the defendant’s counsel for vacation of today’s date,” Atteh said. The defendant is facing 12 counts of fraud, conspiracy, obtaining money by false pretence, uttering forged document contrary to sections 516,419,467(2)(1)Criminal code cap C17, Law of Lagos State of Nigeria.
Justice Dada adjourned the matter till December 5. The EFCC had alleged that Ajudua, on April 2, 1998, in Ikeja, allegedly conspired with Ochunor, said to be on the run, and obtained $268,000.00 from Zalaf of Technical International Limited, a division of Mystic Company Limited in Germany.
Ajudua was also accused to have obtained $225,000.00 by false pretence from Zalaf. EFCC accused Ajudua of uttering and forging Central Bank of Nigeria official receipt numbers 128 and 138, purported to have been issued by the apex bank to Zalaf.
According to the EFCC, On May 12, Ajudua also forged a Contract Completion Certificate purported to have been issued by the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, Falomo, Lagos, to defraud Technical International Limited.
