$8.4m Fraud: Ajudua Challenges EFCCs Powers To Try Him

Alleged fraud kingpin, Fred Ajudua, who is being tried for allegedly defrauding former Chief of Army Staff, General Ishaya Bamaiyi of $8.4m on Thursday challenged the power of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to prosecute him.Ajudua is being prosecuted by the EFCC on a 28 count charge of allegedly collecting various sums of money from Bamaiyi while the duo were in custody at Kirikiri Prison, Lagos under false pretense.According to the EFCC, the defendant and his accomplices had approached Gen. Bamaiyi, who was facing trial for the attempted murder of Alex Ibru, the late Publisher of The Guardian newspaper, and convinced him they could secure his freedom.It will be recalled that Ajudua co-defendant, Oluronke Rosulu who had opted for separate trial was last year sentenced to 10 years imprisonment by Justice Lawal-Akapo.At the resumed hearing of the matter on Thursday, Ajudua, through his lawyer, Norrison Quakers, SAN opposed EFCCs effort to re-arraign him on an amended charge.Quakers told the court that under the administration of criminal justice law, the EFCC has no powers to prosecute his client.Quakers also raised objection against the amended charges stating that his client cannot be arraigned on the new information before the court since the anti-graft agency failed to obtain his witness statement.The application was , however, opposed to by the EFCC lawyer, Seidu Atteh, who argued that it was not necessary for the EFCC to obtain statement from defendant simply because the charges were amended.Atteh further pointed out that Ajudua had personally refused to volunteer any statement to the commission over the allegations against him.The trial judge, Justice Oyefeso has adjourned that matter till February 13, 2017 for hearing of argument of both parties.
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