HEDA demands speedy justice, warns lawyers against delay tactics
The Human and Environmental Development Agenda (HEDA Resource Centre) has called for the swift continuation of the long-running fraud trial and cautioned senior lawyers against tactics that delay justice and undermine public confidence in the judiciary.
The call follows a recent ruling by the Supreme Court of Nigeria, which revoked the bail earlier granted to Fred Ajudua by the Court of Appeal in 2018 and ordered the case to be returned to Justice Mojisola Dada for trial.
HEDA described the judgment as both progressive and necessary, coming after nearly two decades of delays in a $1.43 million fraud case.
HEDA chairman, Olanrewaju Suraju, commended the apex court for rising above legal technicalities to uphold the sanctity of justice, describing the decision as a victory for the rule of law.
“The Supreme Court has, once again, demonstrated that justice can prevail in Nigeria when courage and conscience guide the law. However, we must now match this significant ruling with a speedy and decisive dispensation of justice. For a case that began in 2005 to linger for nearly two decades is not only a mockery of our justice system but a betrayal of the victims’ quest for justice,” he said.
HEDA expressed deep concern over what it described as a disturbing pattern of delay tactics employed by some senior members of the Bar, who manipulate legal procedures to shield high-profile defendants from accountability.
“It is disappointing and dangerous that some members of the Inner Bar have continually exploited the loopholes in our legal system to stall trials, abuse bail privileges, and deny victims and the nation the justice they deserve. We strongly caution such legal practitioners: you are not only impeding justice, you are complicit in enabling crimes and impunity.”
Suraju reiterated that justice must not only be done but also be seen to be done within reasonable timeframes.
He warned that public officials who embezzle funds and defraud citizens will not escape eventual reckoning.
“There shall be no peaceful retirement for those who loot the public treasury and rob innocent people of their hard-earned money. History will not forget, and justice delayed though it will not be denied,” he said.
He urged the Lagos State Judiciary to ensure that the resumed trial of Ajudua proceeds without further delays and called on the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to continue its prosecution with professionalism and resolve.
