Lagos court denies wheelchair-bound suspect bail over murder

The Lagos State High Court sitting in Igbosere has denied bail to Ahmed Tajudeen, a suspect in the alleged murder of two persons in Ajiran Community in the Eti-Osa Local Government Area of Lagos State.

The alleged murder of Sherif Agborin on April 18, 2023, and Ademola Akinloye, son of the Ojomu of Ajiranland, Oba Akinloye, in August 2024, sparked widespread protests and demands for justice before the Lagos State Police Command arrested the prime suspect and an alleged accomplice earlier this year.

Tajudeen, who was earlier brought into the courtroom in a wheelchair due to his reported medical condition, had sought bail to enable him to receive adequate medical attention.

The case resumed on Wednesday before Justice Abdul-Raheem Muyideen in Court 8 after a delay of more than six months.

During the proceedings, the defendant’s lead counsel, Adedotun Ajulo, urged the court to grant his client bail, citing his health condition and the need for appropriate medical care.

Ajulo appealed to the court to allow the defendant to access the necessary treatment while the trial continued.

However, in his ruling, Justice Muyideen rejected the bail application and directed that Tajudeen be returned to the custodial facility in Ikoyi, Lagos.

The judge also directed that the defendant be allowed to receive the medical attention he requires while in custody.

The court subsequently adjourned the case until November 3, 2026, for further proceedings.

Speaking with journalists after the ruling, Ajulo said the defence team was notified at short notice that the court would deliver its ruling on the bail application filed on September 29.

He said the application was based on the medical condition of the third defendant, Ahmed Tajudeen, adding that the court had earlier promised to communicate the date for the ruling.

“It was an impromptu notice yesterday at about 1 pm. We received a call from the court informing us that the ruling was scheduled for today,” he said.

Ajulo said the court acknowledged the defendant’s health concerns but declined to grant him bail because he was already receiving treatment at a Federal Medical Centre and faced allegations of murder and conspiracy.

“In its wisdom, the court ruled today that, although it might agree that the third defendant is ill, he is currently receiving treatment at a medical centre.

“Since the third defendant is receiving treatment at a medical centre, a Federal Medical Centre, for that matter, the court is not disposed to granting him bail, particularly because the allegations against him and the other defendants are murder and conspiracy,” he said.

The lawyer added that the court considered the medical care available to the defendant and the need to avoid examining the evidence in a way that could prejudge the case.

He said the court had adjourned the matter for an accelerated hearing, with further proceedings scheduled for November 3, 5, 9, 10 and 25.

Ajulo, however, maintained that the defence team would consider its next line of action following the ruling.

“I am not the defendant; I am a lawyer. We will evaluate the next steps. However, the defendants are very much ready for trial in this matter,” he said.

Explaining the basis of the bail application, Ajulo said the defendant had been receiving medical attention even before the case was transferred to the High Court, adding that he had previously been brought to court in an ambulance while receiving treatment.

“What has been generating the noise all along is the bail application of the third defendant. Even before we came to this Honourable Court, while we were still at the magistrate’s court awaiting the DPP’s advice from the Ministry of Justice, the third defendant had been coming to court from the hospital.

“He had been brought to court in an ambulance,” he said.

Ajulo argued that the application was intended to enable Tajudeen to seek further medical care, noting that he had undergone surgery outside Nigeria in 2024.

“The sole reason for seeking bail is that the defendant has been battling this illness for a long time. In 2024, the defendant underwent surgery outside the country,” he said.

He added that the defendant had personally paid his medical bills and that the defence wanted him released to seek the medical care he considered necessary.

“We are simply asking that he be granted bail so that he can seek the best medical care available to him,” Ajulo said.

The case was adjourned until November 3 for further proceedings.