Fred Ajudua, a businessman and socialite from Lagos, has been arrested by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) in relation to a $1.43 million fraud.  

Following a Supreme Court judgement on Friday, May 5, 2025, which revoked his bail and ordered that he be held in the Correctional Service, the arrest occurred in Abuja on Tuesday.  

“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 arrest is the most recent development in a decades-long legal dispute between Ajudua and the anti-corruption organisation.  Since the 1990s, Ajudua, a former socialite, has been accused of advance-fee fraud on multiple occasions.  Following a previous decision by the Court of Appeal, Lagos Division, which had granted him bail, the Supreme Court decided to cancel it.  

The decision of the highest court demonstrates the judiciary's determination to maintain accountability in well-known fraud cases.  

Nonetheless, there are hints that Ajudua might have escaped before being apprehended, which raises questions regarding the efficacy of compliance procedures and the implementation of court orders.

Source