By Abubakar Yunusa
The Oodua Integrity Group has expressed concern over the continued detention of convicted fraudster Fred Ajudua in the custody of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), despite a Supreme Court verdict ordering him to serve a jail term.
In a statement released on Saturday, the group revealed that intelligence sources confirmed Ajudua remains in EFCC custody and has allegedly been making phone calls from there.
Olatayo Olaitan, the group’s liaison officer for the South-West and South-South, accused the EFCC of dragging its feet in transferring Ajudua to a correctional centre, raising fears of possible compromise.
The group called on the Attorney-General of the Federation to immediately intervene and ensure Ajudua is moved to prison in line with the judgment of the apex court.
“It is no longer rumour,” the statement read, “that some of Ajudua’s close associates—Prince Walter Ngegwe, Pope Gideon and his personal assistant Ogalanya—are allegedly working to raise N500 million to bribe EFCC officials in a desperate bid to stall his imprisonment.”
The group also alleged that these aides have begun disposing of investors’ lands in Ibuzor, Delta State, as part of efforts to raise the said amount.
According to the statement, this land disposal is being carried out illegally and puts numerous investors at risk of losing their property.
The group called on the Delta State Police Command to swiftly intervene and stop the “illicit land grabbing sales” linked to Ajudua’s associates.
They warned that any attempt to obstruct justice by preventing Ajudua’s transfer to prison through bribery would undermine the authority of the Supreme Court and erode confidence in Nigeria’s criminal justice system.
Meanwhile, EFCC sources reportedly claimed the delay in moving Ajudua to a correctional facility is due to the Nigeria Correctional Service’s insistence on receiving a Certified True Copy of the Supreme Court judgement, which the EFCC said would be made available next week.
The group urged the EFCC Chairman to investigate the matter urgently, stressing that no one should be above the law.
