$8.4 million fraud: Ajudua granted permission to travel abroad for medical treatment

Embattled Lagos socialite and businessman, Fred Ajudua, who allegedly defrauded a former Chief of Army Staff, Lt-Gen. Ishaya Bamaiyi (Retd) of $8.4 million was on Monday granted leave to travel abroad for urgent medical treatment by an Ikeja High Court.

Ajudua’s permission to travel was sequel to an application dated May 14, 2017 filed by the defendant through his counsel, Norrison Quakers, seeking permission to travel abroad for an urgent medical surgery.

Ajudua is being tried by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission on a 14-count charge bothering on obtaining, under pretence.

The defendant allegedly collected the money from Bamaiyi while the duo were in Kirikiri prison, Lagos.

However, while addressing the court on Monday, Quakers said that his client was grievously sick and needed an urgent medical surgery which ought to be performed outside the country as directed by his doctor.

Quakers said, “My Lord can tell by his appearance today in court that the defendant is seriously ill and that there is a medical report to buttress this fact.

“The application brought before your Lordship is to put the court on notice that we are about to travel for a medical examination.

“Your lordship will see the urgency in the affidavit of urgency attached to the motion including the original copy of the medical report from Lagos State Teaching Hospital, LUTH.

“My client was in LUTH and was transferred to India but the EFCC agents refused him going there. He has been complaining of a high blood pressure and blood in stool (hematochezia) which has been persistent since 2015.

“I even cautioned him not to be in court for today’s trial because of the way he was looking but he insisted on coming in order not to give a wrong impression to the court.

Reacting to the application, the prosecution, S. A. Atteh, said that the application, if granted, has no date informing the court when the defendant is travelling or returning.

“I urge the court to reject the application since the defence gas not given any concrete or clear information regarding the type of surgery he intends to go for,” Atteh said.

However, in her ruling, Justice Jisephine Oyefeso noted that one of the conditions of Ajhdua’s bail stipulates that the defendant is to retain his international passport should in case the need arises for him to travel for medical treatment relating to his health.

She said, “On this ground, the defendant has no obligation to seek permission to travel since he has his international passport and could travel at will if he wants to.

“The most important thing is that the defendant must be present in court for trial.  The application to travel is therefore unnecessary to notify the court.”

The matter was further adjourned till July 13, 2017 for trial.