The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has rearrested Friday Audu, the suspected Nigerian mastermind behind the activities of 193 foreigners and several others arrested in Dec. 2024 in one fell swoop for offences bordering on Cryptocurrency Investment Fraud and Romance Scam.
In a mild drama, Audu was rearrested by officials of the anti-graft agency as he stepped outside the premises of the Federal High Court, Ikoyi, Lagos shortly after he was granted bail on Thursday.
The officials led him to a waiting white van and swiftly whisked away while his co-defendants were led away by correctional officers.
The three defendants, Huang Haoyu, Friday Audu, An Hongxu and their company Genting International Ltd are standing trial before the court on a 12-count charge of alleged cybercrime.
They had been arraigned before the court on Monday, March 17 and returned to the court today for the hearing of the bail applications for two of them. The third defendant was yet to file his bail application.
Justice Daniel Osiagor in his bench ruling shortly after hearing the bail applications also held that one of the sureties must be a serving director and the second, any citizen with developed property within the Lagos Metropolis who will surrender his title documents to the court.
The two sureties are to provide their full passport photographs as well as the last date of promotion of the Director to the Deputy Court Registrar, DCR who is to verify these documents.
Pending the perfection of the bail conditions, the court ordered that Audu will be remanded at the correctional services alongside the other defendants who were not granted bail.
While Audu was granted bail, his Chinese counterpart, the first defendant, Huang Haoyu who allegedly joined him to recruit the young Nigerians for their nefarious activities was not granted bail.
In his case, the court held that even though he deposed to an affidavit stating that he is a member of the Chinese Business Community, the nature and status of his residence in Nigeria was not revealed, and no materials were placed before the judge to guarantee his presence in court for his trial. The judge agreed with the EFCC that he was a flight risk.
A third defendant, another Chinese, An Hongxu had no bail application and the court ordered the remand of both men.
Justice Osiagor has adjourned to May 2, 2025, for trial.
In one of the counts, the EFCC alleged, “That HUANG HAOYU A.K.A KEN, AUDU FRIDAY, AN HONGXU, DULIANG PAN (AT LARGE) AND GENTING INTERNATIONAL CO. LIMITED sometime in 2024 in Lagos conspired to wilfuly cause to be accessed, computer systems organised to seriously destabilize the economic and social structure of Nigeria (which prohibits and prevents cyber and related crimes, with intent to gain a financial advantage for yourselves and cronies procured and or employed Nigerian youths to falsely represent themselves as persons of foreign nationalities, and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 27 of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, Etc) Act, 2015 (As Amended, 2024) and punishable under Section 18 of the same Act.”
At their arraignment on Monday, March 17, they each, pleaded not guilty to the charge.
The prosecutor, Mrs Bilikisu Buhari, urged the court to remand the defendants and order an accelerated trial of their case.
