Fresh trouble for Fred Ajudua as Supreme Court orders his return to prison

The Supreme Court of Nigeria has ordered the re-incarceration of Lagos businessman and former socialite Fred Ajudua, revoking the bail earlier granted to him by the Court of Appeal.

Ajudua is currently facing long-standing charges related to an alleged $1 million fraud against a German firm dating back more than three decades.

In a unanimous decision delivered on Friday, the apex court ruled that the Court of Appeal erred in granting Ajudua bail, and consequently mandated his return to custody.

The court also directed Justice Mojisola Dada of the Lagos State High Court to resume hearings in the case.

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Ajudua, who rose to prominence in the 1990s and early 2000s, has been allegedly linked to multiple fraud-related controversies. His legal entanglements reportedly began in the early ’90s, with accusations of obtaining $1 million from a German national through an advance fee fraud scheme, popularly referred to in Nigeria as “419.”

Initially, he was arraigned before Justice Josephine Oyefeso of the Lagos High Court. The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) later re-filed the charges, leading to the reassignment of the case to Justice Dada.

At his re-arraignment on July 6, 2018, Ajudua sought bail on medical grounds. Justice Dada, however, declined the application.

“This case is one of the oldest in Lagos State. Bail is refused and the defendant is to be remanded in prison custody,” Justice Dada ruled at the time, according to Channels TV.

Dissatisfied with the ruling, Ajudua’s lawyer, Olalekan Ojo (SAN), approached the Court of Appeal. The appellate panel, headed by Justice Mohammed Garba, reversed the lower court’s decision and reinstated Ajudua’s bail.

The EFCC subsequently challenged the appellate court’s judgment at the Supreme Court, arguing that the nature of the charges and the prolonged delays warranted stricter judicial consideration.