All the kingpins that may have inspired Hushpuppi – the story of Ade Bendel, Fred Ajudua, Maurice Ibekwe, others

Before Ramon Olorunwa Abass aka Hushpuppi became the next big fraudster to come out of Nigeria, several others had walked the path. While some were caught, arrested and convicted, others went into hiding and remained on the list of most wanted Nigerans fraudsters.

Like Hushpuppi, many of these men were in their 30s when they became famous for the wrong reasons. They also had a cordial relationship with celebrities and musicians who constantly sang their praises at parties and in their albums.

Here’s a list of five of some of the biggest fraud kingpins who may have inspired Hushpuppi:

Emmanuel Nwude

Emmanuel Nwude was a Director of Union Bank of Nigeria. He is known for defrauding Nelson Sakaguchi, a Director at Brazil’s Banco Noroeste based in São Paulo, of $242 million between 1995 and 1998 for the construction of a non-existing airport in Abuja. The Banco Noroeste fraud is said to be one of the biggest scams in the world.

Maurice Ibekwe

He was also involved in the Nanco Noroeste fraud and was later elected member of the House of Representatives (1999-2004 when he was arrested) where he was Chairman of House Committee on Police Affairs. He also defrauded a German, Klaus Munch, of $330,000 in 1999.

He was one of the first set of fraudsters arrested by EFCC alongside Nwude when it was founded in 2003. He died in jail in 2004 while standing trial for fraud.

Fred Ajudua

Ajudua swindled a former Chief of Army Staff, retired Lt.-Gen. Ishaya Bamaiyi of $8.4 million cash in 2004 while they were both in the Kirikiri Prisons standing trial for different offences. He had promised to help Bamaiyi secure the legal service of Afe Babalola (SAN) who he said would get him freed from jail.

Among many other fraud cases running into millions of dollars, he defrauded two Dutch businessmen, Remy Cina and Pierre Vijgen, of $1.69 million between July 1999 and September 2000.

He jumped bail after he was permitted to seek medical attention in India in February 2005. He has been rearrested and presently standing trial for defrauding Bamaiyi.

Adedeji Alumile, aka Ade Bendel

Ade Bendel is arguably one of the most famous con men in Nigeria. He defrauded a retired military brigadier general and former governor of the old North-Central State, General Abba Kyari of N500 million. He is famous for many multi-million naira scams in the late 1990s and early 2000s.

Ade Bendel also reportedly swindled a popular Muslim cleric Sheikh Abdul-Jabar Balogun of N70 million and 15 cars after promising to help him acquire a ship. He defrauded Abdel Azim Attia, an Egyptian General, of over $500,000 in 2003.

He was eventually arrested and sent to six years in prison in 2007 where he was said to have become a pastor.

Olafemi Ayeni

Ayeni was to Ade Bendel, what Olalekan Ponle aka Woodbery is to Huspuppi.
He was Ade Bendel’s accomplice and the principal suspect who conspired with him to dupe the Egyptian General, Abdel Azim Attia of over $500,000 as funding for a business investment in farming. He was declared wanted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) in 2003.

Ayeni was initially arrested by the police and charged to an Abuja magistrate court, which released him on bail. He has since jumped bail and gone into hiding.