On Friday, April 25, 2025, Justice Akintayo Aluko of the Federal High Court in Ikoyi, Lagos, ordered that musician Terry Alexander Ejeh—commonly known as Terry Apala—be remanded at a Correctional Centre due to allegations of mutilating Naira notes. Ejeh was brought before the court by the Lagos Zonal Directorate 1 of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on a single charge connected to the alleged offence.
The charge states, “You, TERRY ALEXANDER EJEH, on January 5, 2025, at La Madison Place, Oniru, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, while dancing at a social event, tampered with Naira notes issued by the Central Bank of Nigeria by trampling on them, thereby committing an offence contrary to and punishable under Section 21(1) of the Central Bank of Nigeria Act, 2007.”
Ejeh entered a plea of not guilty after the charge was read. After the defendant’s plea, prosecution counsel S.I. Suleiman requested a trial date and sought to have the defendant remanded in custody until the trial.
In the meantime, Felix Nwabuda, representing the defence, informed the court about a pending bail application from April 23, 2025. He asked for a brief adjournment to facilitate its hearing.
Whilst praying the court for a short date for the hearing of the bail application, I will be craving the indulgence of the court to release the defendant to the defence.
“We undertake to produce him in court. He will not evade hearing. He came in from the United Kingdom on April 23, 2025; and on the invitation of the EFCC, he came on his own.”
The prosecution counsel, however, opposed the application, saying, “ the application is alien and unheard of.”
“I urge the court to afford us the opportunity to look at the application and respond properly so that the court can make a well -informed ruling,” he said.
Justice Aluko dismissed the defence’s application in a brief ruling and scheduled the bail application hearing for May 5, 2025.
The judge ordered the defendant to be held at the Ikoyi Correctional Centre while waiting for the bail proceedings to conclude.
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