The Lagos State High Court has denied a fresh bail application by Ahmed Tajudeen Akanbi, the principal suspect in the alleged murder of two prominent members of the Ajiran community in the Eti-Osa Local Government Area of Lagos State. Akanbi was brought into the courtroom in a wheelchair when his trial resumed on Wednesday, October 28, 2026, at Court 8 of the Lagos State High Court, Igbosere, following a delay of more than six months.
During the proceedings, Akanbi's lead counsel, Barrister Adedotun Ajulo, urged the court to grant him bail to enable him to receive adequate medical attention. The lawyer asked the court to consider Akanbi's health condition and allow him access to the necessary treatment while the trial continues. However, Justice Abdul-Raheem Muyideen rejected the bail application and directed that Akanbi be returned to the custodial facility in Ikoyi, Lagos, where he would be allowed to receive the medical attention he requires.
Akanbi is standing trial alongside Shafi Fatai and Yusuf Ismaila over the alleged killings of Sheriff Ishola Salami and Prince Kazeem Ademola Akinloye, two members of the Ajiran community. Salami was reportedly killed in Moba, Eti-Osa, on April 18, 2023, while Akinloye was allegedly assassinated along Chevron Road on August 26, 2024.
The latest development comes amid a series of bail applications filed by Akanbi's lawyers before different judges of the Lagos State High Court between June and August 2026. As previously reported, the court on August 27 barred Akanbi from filing another application similar to one his lawyers had presented before vacation judges, directing them instead to approach the substantive judge handling the murder trial.
The sequence of applications followed a June 25, 2026, remand order by Justice A.T. Muyideen, directing that Akanbi be held at the Ikoyi Minimum Custodial Centre after the court found that the police had exhausted the constitutionally permissible period for keeping him in custody. The order was complicated by correctional officials' refusal to admit Akanbi because of his medical condition.
Despite the pending application, Akanbi's lawyers filed a separate bail application before Justice Olumuyiwa O. Martins. In a ruling delivered on July 22, Justice Martins held that the fresh application was unnecessary and amounted to an attempt to undermine Justice Muyideen's orders. The application was denied and dismissed.
The case has been adjourned until November 3, 2026, for further proceedings. The dispute over Akanbi's bail has been ongoing, with multiple applications filed before different judges, and the latest ruling brings the matter back before the judge handling the substantive murder trial.
Key points
- The Lagos State High Court has denied a fresh bail application by Ahmed Tajudeen Akanbi.
- Akanbi is standing trial for the alleged murder of two prominent members of the Ajiran community.
- The case has been adjourned until November 3, 2026, for further proceedings.
