The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on Thursday rearrested Friday Audu, the mastermind behind the activities of a group of fraudsters, inside the premises of the Federal High Court, Lagos.
The commission had in December 2024 arrested 193 foreigners and several others for alleged cryptocurrency investment and romance scams.
The EFCC arraigned Audu alongside Huang Haoyu, An Hongxu and their company Genting International Ltd on a 12-count charge of alleged cybercrime.
They were arraigned on Monday and returned to the court on Thursday for the hearing of bail applications filed by two of the defendants.
Justice Daniel Osiagor in his ruling granted Audu bail in the sum of N50 million with two sureties in like sum.
The judge ordered that one of the sureties must be a serving director and the second, any citizen with developed property within the Lagos Metropolis.
The surety is expected to surrender his title documents to the court registrar.
But Haoyu who joined Audu to recruit the young Nigerians for illegal trade was not granted bail.
Court officials and onlookers were shocked when Audu was rearrested by EFCC officials after he stepped outside the court premises in the Ikoyi area of the state.
He was led to a waiting van by the officials who quickly drove from the premises while other defendants were taken away by Nigerian Correctional Service (NCoS) officers.