How Court Registrar, Ajudua Duped Me of $330,000 – Bamaiyi

A retired Army General and the Chief of Staff under the late Sani Abacha, General Ishaya Bamaiyi, told an Ikeja high Court Tuesday how a court registrar, Ms. Rosulu Idowu Oluronke, collaborated with a Lagos socialite, Fred Ajudua, in defrauding him of $330,000 which was meant for the part payment for professional fees charged by Chief Afe Babalola (SAN) to handle his case.
Bamaiyi made this known while testifying before the presiding judge, Justice Lateef Lawal. He explained that he met Ajudua and Alumile Adedeji a.k.a. Ade Bendel at Kirikiri Maximum Prison, during his remand for alleged attempted murder of the publisher of The Guardian, Mr. Alex Ibru and two others.
It will be recalled that Justice Joseph Oyewole, issued a judgment that Bamaiyi, who had been standing trial since 1999 on a four-count charge which include conspiracy and attempted murder of Mr Ibru, ex-Director of Sports in Delta State, Isaac Porbeni and former presidential candidate in the year’s election, Prof. Pat Utomi, should be freed, since the prosecution was unable to prove beyond reasonable doubt that he was liable in the offence.
According to evidence before the prosecutor, Mr. Seidu Alteh, Bamaiyi also told the court that Rosulu (defendant), who was Justice Oyewole’s registrar, visited him three times at Kirikiri maximum prison in respect of the payment for Chief Babalola’s professional fees.
“I was at Kirikiri Maximum Prison, first floor, Cell 5 on 23rd of November, 1999 before Ajudual and Ade Bendel were brought in at the same block. Ajudua and I were in the same cell, so we became friends. Ajudua discussed my case with me and he told me that he is a lawyer and that he has studied my case, and found out it is purely a political one. He also told me that he was interested in the case and has sent his wife to see the Lagos Chief Judge (CJ), Justice Ade Alabi (retired) and the state Attorney General (AG),   Professor Yemi Osinbajo, over the matter. I was told that the CJ was the one in contact with Chief Babalola,” Bamaiyi said.

According to the former army general,  Ajudua later told him that based on the advice of the CJ and AG, (Justice Alabi and Prof. Osinbajo) there was need for the case to be handled by Chief Babalola who would help facilitate his release from prison custody.
He said: “I was told that Chief Babalola charged $18million as professional fees. I was then told that the money was to be paid through Justice Oyewole. Ajudua told me that Justice Oyewole was going to send his registrar (Rosulu).
“Rosulu and the defendant visited me for the first time at the prison on October 23, 2004. The defendant came with Ajudua at the prison and confirmed to me that she was sent by Justice Oyewole. She came with Ajudua to the visiting room, alongside a prison officer, ACP Abdullahi Garuba.
“On November 6, 2004 at 10am, the defendant, Rosulu, also came with Ajudua at the prison, alongside ACP Garuba and Rosulu also came with her daughter whom she said was from the university. The defendant assured me that any money released through Justice Oyewole would get to Chief Babalola.
“A friend of mine arranged $330,000 for me    before the defendant’s 3rd visit on November 20, 2004, and money was brought in a ‘Ghana-Must-Go’ to the prison. I showed Ajudua the money and he said he would call one Jonathan who happens to be Ajudua’s boy to join us in counting the money. The money was counted in the presence of the defendant (Rosulu), the prison officer (ACP Garuba).”
Bamaiyi maintained that Rosulu carried the bag containing the money after it was counted and Ajudua saw them off to the gate.
“That evening, Ajudua told me that the defendant (Rosulu) called and confirmed delivering the said money to Justice Oyewole and same had also been taken to Chief Babalola. I have never met her again until December 19, 2013 at the Lagos office of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). When I did not hear from Chief Babalola after a while, and then Ajudua had travelled to India, I suspected that something was wrong.
“Again, I called Ajudua’s line in India to tell him that Justice Oyewole said he never received any money and that Chief Babalola did not handle my case. Ajudua asked me how I got Justice Oyewole’s number and since then he stopped using that line to receive calls again,” Bamaiyi said.
The retired army general also noted that the defendant (Rosulu) never introduced herself to him as an officer or staff in the office of Chief Babalola during the cross-examination by Mr. Bamidele Ogundele, the defence counsel.
Bamaiyi stressed that the defendant did not sign any document and could not have signed any document on receiving the $330,000 as part payment for Chief Babalola’s professional fees.
Court filings also reveal that, between November 2004 and June 2005, Ajudua funnelled the sum of $330,000 through Rosulu and others. Ajudua was at the Kirikiri maximum-security prison during the period.
EFCC alleged that Ajudua was able to perform the fraudulent act by claiming to Bamaiyi that he had close relationship with Justice Oyewole, before whom Bamaiyi was standing trial.
On the other hand, Rosulu is facing trial on a two-count charge of conspiracy to obtain money by false pretences and obtaining money by false pretences.
One of the charges read:  “Rosulu Idowu Oluronke, Fred Chijindu Ajudua, Alumile Adedeji a.k.a. Ade Bendel (still at large), one Mr. Jonathan (still at large), one Mr. Kenneth (still at large), Princess Hamabon William (still at large) and others still at large, on November 20, 2004 at Lagos within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, with intent to defraud, obtained the sum of $330,000 from retired Lieutenant General Ishaya Rizi Bamaiyi by falsely represented to General Bamaiyi that the $330,000 was part payment for professional fees charged by Chief Afe Babalola (SAN) to handle General Bamaiyi’s case in court and to facilitate his release from prison custody.”
Again, EFCC informed the court that the offence was contrary to Section 1 (3) of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offences Act, No. 13 of 1995 as amended by Act No. 62 of 1999.