Ajudua escaped after the Supreme Court ordered that he should be returned to prison.”
SAHARA REPORTERS
Lagos businessman Fred Ajudua is reportedly in hiding after the Supreme Court ordered his immediate return to prison. Ajudua, who is on trial for allegedly defrauding a German company of $1.43 million over 30 years ago, was ordered back into custody following a ruling that overturned a Court of Appeal decision granting him bail.
The apex court, in a unanimous decision on Friday, declared that the appellate court had erred in granting Ajudua bail and instructed Justice Mojisola Dada of the Lagos State High Court to resume the trial.
Ajudua, once a prominent socialite and businessman, was accused in the early 1990s of obtaining the funds through an advance fee fraud scheme, commonly known as “419.” The case has been ongoing for decades, and Ajudua’s legal team had previously cited health concerns in failed attempts to secure his release.