By Bunmie Dare
Chief Detective has uncovered classified documents, which gave a blow-by-blow account of how alleged fraud kingpin, Chief Fred Ajudua, and his gang allegedly swindled one of their most high profile victims, German millionaire industrialist, Remmy Hendrick Luigi Cima, of about N250 million.
In fact, it is for this particular fraud that Ajudua is currently standing trial before Justice Olubunmi Oyewole, of an Igbosere High Court, in Lagos.
Also, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), in October 2003, said that Ajudua had twelve cases pending against him including an advance fee fraud of 1.6 million Euros and another of $1.5 million, both committed in 2001. He was accused of collecting money from Nelson Allen, a Canadian who lost $250,000. A German was said to have lost $350,000 to him. He was said to have tricked more than $1.69-million out of two Dutch nationals between 1999 and 2000. On July 26, 2005, a German woman, Frieda Springer-Beck, agreed to an out-of-court settlement after a long series of inconclusive court appearances dating back to 1993.
In 2007, the Administrative Panel of Inquiry on Reports of Alleged Corrupt Practices recommended that Ajudua’s wife should not run for political office on the basis of an EFCC report that she had been involved in a conspiracy to obtain $7.85 million and N3 million under false pretence and had used money from fraudsters to campaign for election, although the panel noted that there was no direct evidence linking her to the activities of her husband.
Besides, Chief Detective can reveal, for the first time, what former President Olusegun Obasanjo told Ajudua, during a meeting at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
The documents in Chief Detective’s possession include the statement made to the London City Police, by 57-year-old Cima, who is the Chairman of German multinational, Polyquartz Formtechnik Gmbh, manufacturer of kitchen worktops, on April 26, 2000, as well as accounts of the British detective, Deputy Constable Paul Henry Blumson, who was part of the team that investigated the alleged fraud in London.
Blumson’s account also revealed how Ajudua allegedly hired a Briton, David Gold, as a chauffeur for five months, in 1999, while perpetrating the fraud.
In the documents obtained by Chief Detective, Cima painted a graphic picture of how Ajudua and his ‘gang’ allegedly defrauded him of $1,698,338 million, after he was lured by a phone call from one Chief Peter Obi over a purported contract for the construction of the Abuja International Airport.
Chief Peter Obi, who was allegedly the chairman of the Tender Board of the Federal Ministry of Aviation, told Cima he stood to benefit 30 per cent of $36 million loot from an over-invoiced Abuja Airport contract if his bank account could be used to launder the money.
Cima agreed to the deal and, subsequently, volunteered his account details to Obi for the purpose of the transfer.
He gave the names of other members of the ‘very clever and organised gang’ as Dr Sonny Eze, Terry Walters, Mr Stevens, Dr Isa Audu, Dr Graham Musa, Mr Harry Strand, Dr Ismaila Usman, Mr James Tutu and Mr Morgan. He also listed some five-star hotels in London where the scam was allegedly perpetrated.
Cima’s account went thus: “My first contact was by phone on or about May 19, 1999, with Mr Chief Peter Obi (alleged Chairman of the Tender Board Committee of the Federal Ministry of Aviation).
“He told me that his partner, Dr Sonny Eze, had given him my business card and that he met me at the INTERZUM (International Fair) in Cologne in Germany.
“Because I am the CEO and Chairman of the German company, POLYQUARTZ FORMTECHNIK Gmbh, (we manufacture kitchen worktops), and I did meet a lot of people at the fair, I assumed that I also met him but I did not recall it.
“First, I thought that they were interested in becoming a client but very soon they asked me if I could assist them in a business deal.
‘’I asked them about the nature of the business and Mr Sonny Eze faxed me the information about the deal (See facsimile dated 19/05/99 from Dr Sonny Eze and the facsimile dated 16/06/99 from Chief Peter Obi).
“Basically, the deal concerned alleged over-invoiced contracts for the construction of Abuja International Airport and I would receive 30 per cent of a $36 million contract if I gave them my bank account details where the money would be placed.
“I believed that this was a legitimate business transaction or else I would not have got involved and because there was no risk for me I gave them the information they needed.
‘’I never met them in person; however, they invited me several times to come and visit them in Lagos.
“On June 30, 1999, I received two documents by fax allegedly from the Office of the Accountant-General dated 28/06/99 and the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) dated 30/06/99, which approved a first instalment payment of 50 per cent.
“Also in the document from the CBN, I was instructed to pay a forex (foreign exchange) allocation charge of $36,000.00 and I told Chief Obi to pay this forex allocation charge, which he told me he did.
‘’On 13/07/99, 1 received a facsimile, allegedly from the National Economic Intelligence Agency, in which it was stated that the World Bank and the IMF had directed that all contracts have to be paid for from London through their special offshore priority payment agent, ADVANCE SECURITIES. It added that this agent would control the documents and I had to pay £15,000 as handling charges. (See facsimile dated 13/07/99 from the Presidency, National Economic Intelligence Agency).
‘’On this fax was a telephone no. 44 793 188 8007 and I called it from Miami on 14/07/99 (where I was on business). I spoke to a man who identified himself as Terry Walters. He said his company, ADVANCE SECURITIES, was the payment agent, acting on behalf of the Nigerian government. He told me to come to London and meet him and bring with me identification and £15,000 in order to pay the handling charges.
“On the 22/07/99, I met Terry Walters from ADVANCE SECURITIES at a Thistle Hotel near Regents Park and I paid him the cash sum of Hfl 51,000,00 (Dutch Guilders equalling $25,000, after he had asked for my ID and reviewed the documentation I had with me (see official receipt of payment from ADVANCE SECURITIES). Terry Walters is a white person, probably English, Age 35-40 years, 1.80m tall, with dark blond hair). He told me that his father was the owner of ADVANCE SECURITIES. I would be able to recognise him again.
“At our meeting that lasted from 11.00am to 11.15am, he repeated the story he told me over the phone on 14/07/99 and also stated that he used to work for Scotland Yard and that his company, ADVANCE SECURITIES, had been collecting payments for the Nigerian government for years.
“I believed what Walters was telling me otherwise I would not have paid him any money. He also told me he would take me to the Payment Officer of ADVANCE SECURITIES.
‘’Then Terry Walters introduced me to Mr Stevens (Official Payment Officer), who we met in a nearby street and Walters left.
“Mr Stevens brought me and another contractor from Brazil to the Barclays Bank near Regents Park. In the Bank, he showed me a bank draft from the Barclays Bank in my name for the sum of £21,500,000.
‘’To receive this bank draft, I had to sign some official documents and I was instructed to wait in the Thistle Hotel for Dr Isa Audu, the Auditor-General. Mr Stevens is an African from Nigeria, age 35-40 years, wearing glasses, I. 75m tall, again I would recognise him.
‘’Stevens told me everything was in order and that I would be receiving the bank draft for £21,500,000.
“The same day, a man, who called himself Dr Isa Audu, came to the hotel and gave me a facsimile he told me he had just received from the Federal Ministry of Finance.
‘’According to this facsimile, I was instructed to pay by SWIFT, a National Economic Recovery Levy of two per cent ($720,000.00) to the account of ZAMORA LTD in New York.
“Dr AUDU explained that all levies have to be paid to international brokers that were appointed by the Nigerian Government.
‘’He said if for any reason the brokers could not transfer the money to Nigeria before the $36,000,000 was credited to my account, the deal would be cancelled and the broker is obliged by law to transfer the money back to the accounts where they were paid from. Dr Isa Audu is an African from Nigeria, age 39-44 years, 1.85m tall. I would recognise him again.
“After I returned to the Netherlands, I told Chief Obi and Dr Sonny Eze on or about 23/07/99 on the telephone to pay the recovery levy (See facsimile dated 26/07/99 from Dr.Sonny Eze).
‘’On 2/07/99, they allegedly paid $220,000 (See receipt) and on the 12/08/99, they allegedly paid $50,000 (See receipt) to ZAMORA LTD in New York.
“It is now obvious that these receipts they sent to me are forgeries but at that time, I believed they were correct.
“I paid with my partner in the Netherlands, Mr Jaap Stuiver, via his company, NOVATEX BV, on 30/7/99; $133,338 (See receipt ), on 17/08/99; $50,000 (See receipt), on 18/08/99; $100,000 (See receipt) and on the 4/08/99; $170,000 (See receipt) all to ZAMORA LTD at the United Bank for Africa in New York, A/C no 48829001, VIA SWIFT. This total in the previous paragraph, adds up to $443,000 and I paid the majority of it.
‘’The following week I had an appointment in London with Dr Isa Audu to receive the bank draft and to finalise the deal. This meeting took place in the TOWER BRIDGE HOTEL and Mr Stevens and Mr Terry Walters of ADVANCE SECURITIES were present.
‘’During this meeting, they told me that the Accountant-General in Nigeria had taken notice of this transaction and he wanted a part of it. Because his assistant in London, Dr Graham Musa, had to co-sign the official papers together with Dr Isa Audu, they told me that I had no choice but to cooperate.
“I asked them what the terms would be and they told me that Dr Graham Musa was talking to the Accountant-General about this and would join us shortly (Dr Graham Musa had a personal suite in the hotel). Dr Graham Musa is an African person from Nigeria, Age 30-35 years, l.80m tall.
‘’After the arrival of Dr Graham Musa, he told me that the Accountant-General wanted $5,000,000.00 in total and 50 per cent up-front ($2,500,000.00).
‘’At that moment, I told Dr Isa Audu that I wanted to cancel everything and get my money back. Dr Isa Audu then told me that it would be a shame for everybody if I would cancel this deal and offered to help me to raise the money. The following week, I was informed that the following people had made the following payments to the Accountant-General.
‘’Dr. Isa Audu transferred $395,000, Terry Walters-$1,000,000, Stevens-$100,000 and Graham Musa transferred $100,000 (totalling $1,595,000).
“The payment of Dr Isa Audu was done from Nigeria (see alleged receipt). For the other payments, I do not have a receipt. I paid via the companies of my partner Mr Jaap Stuiver (NOVATEC BV and JASTU BV in the Netherlands).
‘’On the 07/9/99, I paid $125,000.00, on the 07/09/99, I paid $180,000.00, on the 14/09/99, I paid $100,000.00. All the three payments went to United Bank for Africa for the account of ZAMORA LTD with A/C No 48829001, all by SWIFT.
“On the 24/09/99, we also paid $150,000.00 and on 27/09/99; $200,000.00 by SWIFT to the account of INTRA GLOBAL SECURITIES at CITIBANK in New York, A/C No 36126801 (see receipts).
‘’The following week, I had another appointment in London with Dr Isa Audu.
“This meeting took place in the Hilton Hotel, in the personal suite of Dr.Graham Musa. Present at this meeting were Mr Stevens, Dr Graham Musa and Mr Terry Walters of ADVANCE SECURITIES.
“During this meeting, Dr Isa Audu told me that the Minister of Finance, Dr Adamu Ciroma, was aware of this transaction and wanted the same amount as the Accountant General, which was $2,500,000 00.
‘’The minister wanted $1,500,000.00 up-front and the rest later (see facsimile dated 01/11/99 allegedly from the Minister, Dr Adamu Ciroma to Graham Musa).
“Again, I told Dr Isa Audu that I did not want to go further and I wanted my money back. At this point, Dr Isa Audu told me about a good friend of his father, a General in the Nigerian Army.
‘’Because I did not want to deal with the General, Dr Isa Audu told me that he would borrow the money from his father in Nigeria, (his father is supposedly the Minister of Abuja, the capital of Nigeria).
‘’Because he felt responsible for the problem I was having with the minister, Dr Isa Audu allegedly travelled to Nigeria and paid $1,220,000.
“On the 06/10/99 and the 28/10/99, I travelled to London by car and handed to Mr Stevens two cash payments of 100,000.00 GUILDERS each time equalling in total $100,000.00.
‘’I drove over from Holland and handed the cash over at the same petrol station in the Catford area of South London. These payments, I was told, were also required to facilitate the deal. He did not give me a receipt.
“By this time, I was getting increasingly frustrated as to when I was going to receive my money but was hooked and thought that each payment I was making would be the last. On 08/11/99, my second partner in the Netherlands, Mr Pierre Vijgen, transferred $80,000.00 to a new broker in the UK, Isle of Man (See receipt).
‘’This transaction was taking a very long time and I found out that the account at the LLOYDS BANK was from HALIFAX INTERNATIONAL LTD. I talked several times with Ms Karen Watson of HALIFAX and she told me that the money was transferred back to us but she could not tell me the reason because I was not a client of HALIFAX. (See fax dated 19/11/99).
“We received the money back in the Netherlands after three weeks. I asked Dr Isa Audu what the reason was for this and he lied told me that the brokers in the UK were not fast enough and that the Nigerian government had decided not to use these brokers any longer.
“On the 22/11/99, my partner, Mr Pierre Vijgen paid via the VOLKSBANK WUrselen (Germany) $80,000 to the NatWest Bank London (See receipt).
‘’On the 08/12/99, I paid $100,000 to SKYWORK LTD BANKERS TRUST, New York (See receipts).
‘’On the 20/12/99, I received a call from Mr Harry Strand, allegedly from the BARCLAYS BANK in London, and he confirmed my visit to London on the 22/12/99.
“There was a problem because I had to pay an outstanding of four per cent ($1,440,000.00) for a cover note/authenticity letter before I could collect the bank draft. I called Dr Isa Audu in Lagos and he told me that he was travelling with the Minister of Finance and he would find out what the reason was for this document.
‘’On the 24/12/99, I received a facsimile allegedly from the Federal Ministry of Finance that I have to pay this charge before the draft could be released. Again I told Dr Isa Audu that I wanted my money back and he convinced me that it would be a shame to stop now after we had come so far and he would talk to some friends and raise the money.
“Between Christmas and New Year, Dr Isa Audu called me from Lagos and Paris and told me that he had found people (Lebanese) that would help us.
“Together with these Lebanese friends, Dr Isa Audu allegedly paid $1,230,000.00 to INTRA GLOBAL SECURITIES in New York (see receipts). It is now clear that these so-called receipts are forgeries.
‘’My partner Pierre Vijgen paid, via Germany, $150,000.00.This payment was to Citibank New York, the Intra Global Account Dr Isa Audu mentioned. In January 2000, I received several facsimiles from the Federal Ministry of Finance about the extension of the bank draft.
“Finally, we agreed to pay the balance for the cover note of $60,000.00 in London and gave the money in cash to Mr Harry Strand and a government official of Nigeria after all documents were approved.
‘’On the 09/02/00, I travelled to London together with my partner, Mr Pierre Vijgen. We had an appointment at the Metropole Hotel and Mr Harry Strand introduced Dr Ismaila Usman as a government official and personal assistant to the Minister of Finance.
“Mr Harry STRAND is a white person probably English, Age 30-35 yrs, 1.70m tall, black hair and Dr Ismaila Usman is an African from Nigeria, age 30-35 years and 1.75m tall. I can recognise both again.
“Mr Harry Strand showed me a new Barclays draft dated 08/02/00 in my name and the official papers of the Barclays Bank. Dr Ismaila Usman showed me the official documentation of the Nigerian Government signed by the Minister of Finance and Dr Isa Audu.
‘’At that moment, I gave 130,000.00 Dutch Guilders (US$60,000.00) to Mr Strand and he left allegedly to pay this amount to the National Treasury and would return with the cover note.
“Dr Ismaila Usman told me that I had to sign some documents of the Drug Department of Nigeria in London. After these documents were signed by the official at the Drug Department, we would go to the Barclays Bank and cash the draft, and he was instructed by the Minister of Finance to transfer 50 per cent of the total amount (US$18,000,000 00) to the personal account of the Minister.
“After a while, Dr Ismaila Usman returned and said that the Head of the Drug Department, Mr James Tutu, will not sign the documents if he is not being compensated.
‘’After this, I talked with Dr Isa Audu in Paris and with Mr James Tutu by phone and he told me that he wanted two per cent in total and 50 per cent up-front ($360,000.00).
“Then along the line, they came up with the story of this General, who was allegedly in London with $50,000,000.00 in cash and asked Dr Isa Audu to assist him to transfer the money to his accounts. 50 per cent was for Dr Isa Audu and his partners. I asked Dr Isa AUDU what he wanted me to do with such an amount of cash. Dr.Isa Audu then explained that he wanted to take from this money $1,500,000.00 and pay the Minister of Finance so I could finalise the deal. Dr Isa Audu called the General and asked if we could meet him. The personal assistant of the General came to us in the Original Ancient clothing of Nigeria (It looks like a dress) and told me that he also was an Officer in the Nigerian Army. After this person had changed clothing, we went to an Import & Export Company in North London where he showed us an aluminium trunk (70 cm x 50 cm x 100 cm) filled with used 100 Dollar bills (approx.$25,000,000.00). The Officer told us that he had two of these trunks and one was for us if we could help him to transfer the money to the account of the General. After opening the trunk, it was clear that all the money was dyed with a special pigment (it looked like spoiled ink but you could still see the Dollar bill, about 15 per cent of each Dollar bill was covered with the ink).
“The Officer told us that they did this for security reasons and that there was a special code in the ink. Then he showed us that it was very easy with a special lubricant to remove the ink on the Dollar bills, and asked us to pay $1,300,000.00 to the manufacturer of the lubricant.
‘’I had heard about so-called Black Money scams and although this was slightly different, I was suspicious about it and after we left, I told Dr Isa Audu that I did not want to be a part of this deal with the General and I only wanted to receive my money back as soon as possible.
‘’During this last transaction, Dr Isa Audu was in Paris with the Minister of Finance, Dr Adamu Ciroma, because they were allegedly investigating a major scam of 200 million US Dollars.
“On my return to Holland, I was now sure that I had been the victim of a fraud and I reported the matter to the Dutch Police about the 10/02/00.
‘’Whilst at home watching the TV shortly after I reported that case, I saw a programme called MCINTIRE UNCOVERED, which showed a reporter trying to expose a Nigerian Fraud gang at the Tower Hotel and I recognised a man calling himself Mr Morgan, who I met in London who called himself Isa Audu.
“On the 16/02/00, on the telephone, I asked Mr Isa Audu to cancel the contract and send the application to Lagos and asked him to return the funds within 48 hours.
‘’In conclusion, I wish to add that I am willing to travel to U.K. to give evidence and that I am now financially ruined by this fraud that I had to borrow the airfare to travel to London to make this statement.
“I believed that I was taking part in a business deal from which I would make money and obviously I now know that no such contract ever existed and I have become a victim of a very clever and organised gang.’’
Chief Detective investigations also revealed how Obasanjo once asked security chiefs to bring Ajudua to the Presidential Villa, due to the latter’s growing notoriety.
Obasanjo was said to have asked Ajudua why his name was the most frequently associated with cases of advance fee fraud perpetrated by Nigerians.
He was also said to have asked Ajudua if he would ever get tired of soiling the country’s image through his alleged nefarious activities.
Sources who witnessed the encounter disclosed that immediately Ajudua was brought in, Obasanjo pointed at him and asked in pidgin English: “You, you, you, you no dey tire?” (Meaning: It is you all the time. Don’t you ever get tired?)
In his own account of the London City Police investigation into Ajudua’s alleged activities, Blumson stated: “One of the telephone numbers allegedly used by Mr Ajudua and others to perpetrate the offence provided a lead to the discovery of the masquerade behind the scene.
‘’The investigations into the alleged fraud began following a complaint by Remmy Hendrick Cima. A video clip, which also established his alleged involvement in the scam, is already in court’s custody. One of the telephone lines allegedly used by Mr Ajudua was traceable to a suspect in London. The suspect is Mr David Gold, who was arrested and charged to court in London for conspiracy. Gold chauffeured Mr Ajudua in London for about five months in 1999.
“He was the accused person’s chauffeur between May 1999 and September 1999; the periods during which the victim (Cima) got the first-hand contact from one Chief Peter Obi. Gold was Mr Ajudua’s driver at a period which allegedly coincided with the commission of the crime.
‘’What we found during investigations into the alleged offence were electronically kept and inspected. There is also a documentary videotape entitled, ‘Marketer Undercover’, which revealed Ajudua’s status.
“The videotape tendered and admitted in evidence belonged to the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), which recorded some of Ajudua’s activities in London in 1999.
‘’I got to know the victim shortly after he lodged a complaint with the London Police in respect of the alleged fraud.
“On investigation, he supplied us with some phone numbers used by the fraudsters. One of the numbers was registered in the name of Mr David Gold.
“We went to Mr Gold’s residence, his parents told us that he was no longer living at the address but a new address was given to us.
‘’We went to this new address where we got him. He was interviewed and told us that he was given the telephone line by a man called Fred Ajudua and that Ajudua lived at 7 Kentland Avenue, London. “Gold told us that he chauffeured Mr Ajudua between May 1999 and September 1999 and from him we were able to get some addresses of others linked to the fraud.
‘’My checks with relevant authorities, including the Land Registry, revealed that one of the addresses, 7 Kentland Avenue, was registered in the name of Mrs A. Ajudua.
“On the vehicle chauffeured by Gold, we discovered the dealer of the vehicle following checks carried out on it. We discovered that the vehicle, a Mercedes Benz car, was purchased by Ajudua from Reliance Motors. Our investigations took us to Reliance Motors, where the record of the company was obtained. The record contains an invoice which indicated ownership and was taken to police station. After this, we proceeded to make enquiries as to the status of Mr Ajudua. We got a record from Majesty Operation Service, which keeps a record of people coming to U.K, and found out that Mr and Mrs Ajudua had entered the U.K in 1991 as transit passengers.
‘’I also discovered that Mr Ajudua had entered the U.K in 2002, but his name was not on the 1999 record.’’
Other alleged members of Ajudua’s gang, who are still being sought, 14 years after the alleged criminal offence, include Rasheed Adekunle Adeko (Alias Steven Williams), Abisola Fawehinmi and Steven Joyner (Alias Terry Walters).
Ajudua was first arraigned before Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun, now a Justice of the Supreme Court, alongside one Charles Orie, for allegedly defrauding Cima, on July 24, 2003. The trial had passed through three other judges before it began afresh before Justice Oyewole, this year.
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