Fred Ajudua Rearrested After 30-Year $1.43m Fraud Case — Supreme Court Orders Return to Prison
Date: 14 May 2025 | By: IDNN Justice
In a major anti-corruption development, Nigerian businessman and notorious socialite Fred Ajudua has been rearrested by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) following a Supreme Court ruling that revoked his bail and ordered his immediate return to prison.
The apex court declared that the Court of Appeal erred in granting bail to Ajudua, who has been on trial for allegedly defrauding Ziad Abu Zalaf, a German-based Palestinian businessman, of $1.43 million in a 1993 advance fee scam.
Ajudua was picked up on Tuesday in Abuja and remains in EFCC custody ahead of re-arraignment before Lagos State High Court Justice Mojisola Dada, who originally denied him bail in 2018 due to the protracted nature of the case.
30-Year Legal Saga Nears Climax
The Ajudua case is one of Nigeria’s longest-running white-collar trials:
-
First charged in 2005
-
Bail granted by the Appeal Court in 2018
-
EFCC appeal upheld by Supreme Court on May 5, 2025
-
Now set for continuation before Justice Dada
The EFCC alleges that Ajudua and accomplice Joseph Ochunor defrauded Zalaf in multiple instalments — $268,000 on April 2 and $225,000 on May 12, 1993 — using forged Central Bank and NNPC documents.
The Supreme Court held that the Appeal Court lacked jurisdiction to entertain the bail plea once Ajudua’s brief of argument was struck out as incompetent, rendering subsequent proceedings legally void.
Flight, Escape, and Arrest Drama
Ajudua previously escaped custody in February 2025, during a follow-up police operation in Obosi, Anambra State. He was tracked across Nigerian states and even into a neighboring West African country before his eventual capture in Asaba, Delta State.
Upon rearrest, Ajudua attempted to flee again but was shot in the leg by operatives led by former SARS chief CSP Ifeanyi Iburu.
EFCC: “Justice Will Be Served”
EFCC officials confirmed that actionable intelligence obtained during the arrest is now aiding wider investigations. The Commission has briefed the Anambra Assembly and the family of late Justice Azuka, the Onitsha lawmaker allegedly linked to other crimes involving Ajudua.