The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has arrested Lagos-based businessman and socialite, Fred Ajudua, in Abuja following a Supreme Court order revoking his bail.
Ajudua was picked up on Tuesday, May 13, 2025, days after the Supreme Court, on May 5, reversed the bail granted to him by the Lagos Division of the Court of Appeal. The court directed that he be remanded in custody to face trial over a long-standing fraud case.
According to the EFCC, Ajudua had been residing in Abuja at the time of his arrest. He is now in custody and expected to be re-arraigned in connection with a $1.43 million fraud case dating back to 1993.
Ajudua allegedly defrauded a German businessman through an advance-fee fraud scheme — a case that has dragged on for over three decades. He has also been implicated in other high-profile cases, including allegedly swindling two Dutch nationals of $1.69 million between 1999 and 2000, and reportedly collecting $8.4 million from former Chief of Army Staff, Lt.-Gen. Ishaya Bamaiyi, while both were in detention at Kirikiri prison in 2004.
The Supreme Court’s decision and Ajudua’s arrest signal a renewed push for accountability in long-running corruption cases.
The EFCC says it is prepared to bring Ajudua to justice as it intensifies its efforts to close major fraud cases that have lingered in Nigeria’s judicial system.
