Share this post
Fred Ajudua
13th May, 2025
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has taken into custody Fred Ajudua, a prominent Lagos-based socialite and businessman, in Abuja on Tuesday.
The arrest followed a Supreme Court directive issued on Friday, May 9, 2025.
A highly placed source at the EFCC headquarters in Abuja who spoke in confidence, confirmed the development.
“Operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) have arrested Lagos-based socialite and businessman Fred Ajudua, pending his re-arraignment for an alleged $1.43 million fraud. He was arrested in Abuja on Tuesday and is currently in EFCC custody,” the source said.
The Supreme Court had on Friday, May 9, 2025 allowed an appeal made by the EFCC against the decision of the Court of Appeal, Lagos Division which granted bail to Fred Ajudua.
Ajudua is standing trial for allegedly obtaining the sum of $ 1,043,000 (One Million, Forty Three Thousand Dollars) from a Palestinian, Zad Abu Zalaf, in fraudulent circumstances.
At the beginning of trial in 2005 before Justice M.O Obadina of the Lagos State High Court sitting in Ikeja, Ajudua employed several legal technicalities to stall proceedings which made his arraignment difficult until the matter was re- assigned to Justice J. E Oyefeso and later Justice M. A Dada before whom he was arraigned on June 4, 2018.
Ajudua challenged his denial of bail at the Lagos Court of Appeal and the appellate court granted him bail on September 10, 2018.
Dissatisfied with the judgment, the EFCC approached the apex court in suit number SC/ 51C/ 2019. challenging the judgment of the appellate court.
The Commission also entered another appeal before the apex court in suit number SC/912C/2018 against the Court of Appeal Lagos’ judgment ordering the case to be transferred from the court of Justice Dada of the Lagos State High Court to another judge for the case to start de novo.
Delivering judgment on the appeals on Friday, the Supreme Court allowed the EFCC’s appeals and revoked Ajudua’s bail granted to him by the Court of Appeal, Lagos and reinstated the ruling of Justice Dada which declined to grant him bail.
The Supreme Court also ordered that Fred Ajudua be remanded in the Correctional Centre).
The Court further directed that the Chief Judge of Lagos State should reassign the case to Justice Dada to continue the trial.
The apex court further held that the appeal in appeal no SC/912C/2019 has become academic since the payer in that appeal was against an order of the Court of Appeal, Lagos, transferring the case to another court to start the case de novo.
‘$1,043,000 fraud’: EFCC arrests socialite Fred Ajudua in Abuja
2027: Youth group urges Deputy Senate President to declare for Kano governorship
Kano man to die by hanging for stabbing friend to death
Lagos draws over one trillion Naira in investment, promises 50,000 jobs
Introduced in August 1994 to satisfy a yearning for a fresh, breezy and entertaining afternoon paper in Lagos and its environs, P.M.News is positioned as a paper for everyone.
Email: [email protected]
