Barrister Fred Ajudua, who was supposedly one of the top fraudsters of the millennial years, is certainly unknown to Gen Z kids like me. The initial group of “yahoo boys” from the year 2000 was more interested in mailing phony messages requesting payment in order to claim lottery winnings. The second and third groups of yahoo boys from 2003 to 2007 dealt with online dating scams and preferred to maintain their anonymity over showing off their money like the current group does. The internet scammers we see now are the latest group of yahoo boys from 2010. Some of these youngsters have not only gone into comprising emerging technologies like blockchain and cryptocurrency, black magic, charms, and rituals have been added by some of them out of greed and desperation for money. But the man we are discussing today has been termed by the Sahara Reporters as a ‘serial fraudster’. Like the current group of cyber criminals, he took advantage of the technology that was available to him at the time in defrauding people of their money. In examining the existence of cyber crime in Nigeria, let’s trace the fruit back to one of its oldest branches. Say hello to Fred Ajudua, the man, the myth and the legend.
Many allegations of fraud and scamming have been brought against Nigerian barrister Fred Ajudua. Ajudua was born on June 14, 1961, in Oshimili North LGA of Delta State, Nigeria. His father, Chief Victor Ajudua, was a former member of the House of Representatives. In 1985, Ajudua was called to the Nigerian Bar after completing his legal studies at the University of Benin. He began his legal career in Lagos, where he soon established himself as a savvy and accomplished practitioner. Influential businessmen, politicians, and famous personalities were among his clients. But, he quickly got embroiled in a number of fraudulent activities that would damage his reputation and land him in jail multiple times. His most well-known scam was the "Advance Fee Scam," sometimes referred to as the "419 scam," in which he and his accomplices would demand victims pay up-front fees in exchange for a sizable sum of money that didn't exist.
R. Edward, an American businessman, was one of Ajudua's victims. Ajudua duped Edward out of $1.69 million by telling him he was heir to a portion of a $20 million inheritance from a deceased Russian oil merchant. In another scam, he and his accomplices scammed Lt.-Gen. Ishaya Bamaiyi, the former Chief of Army Staff, of $8.4 million while pretending to be working to have him released from custody.
Ajudua was initially detained in 2003 for his part in the 419 fraud and then released on bail. He was imprisoned for four years before being found not guilty in 2009 by the Lagos High Court. He was detained once more in 2013 and faced a 28-count charge that included forgery, impersonation, and conspiracy to obtain money under false pretenses. In what was known as the "Bamaiyi fraud case," he was accused of defrauding a former Chief of Army Staff of $1.69 million. In 2015, after being imprisoned once more, he was released on bond. The investigation is underway.
Barrister Fred Ajudua’s legal battles have been a source of controversy in Nigeria, with some arguing that he has been unfairly persecuted and denied justice. Others, however, see him as a symbol of the corrupt practices that have plagued Nigeria for many years. You may argue that he isn't a cybercriminal, but since he exploited the technology that was available at the time to defraud people, I believe that this classification is accurate.
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