Court orders forfeiture of two Mercedes-Benz cars, phones linked to convicted fraudster

The Federal High Court in Lagos has ordered the final forfeiture of two luxury Mercedes-Benz vehicles, four electronic devices and other properties linked to a convicted internet fraudster, Ifeanyi Arinze.

Judge Yellim Bogoro made the order on Monday after considering an application by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

“The vehicles include a white Mercedes-Benz GLE 53 AMG and a grey Mercedes-Benz GLC 300 AMG, while the electronic devices comprise an orange iPhone 17 Pro Max, a silver Samsung Fold 7, a blue iPhone 13 and a silver iPad,” according to a statement issued on Tuesday by the EFCC Head of Media and Publicity, Dele Oyewale.

According to the statement, the court had earlier granted an interim forfeiture order on 17 July. It directed the EFCC to publish the order in a national newspaper.

The publication was intended to give any interested person or organisation an opportunity to explain why the properties should not be permanently forfeited.

When the commission’s lawyer, C. C. Okezie, moved the application for final forfeiture on Monday, she told the court that the EFCC had complied with the directive.

She ordered the commission to publish the interim forfeiture order in The Guardian newspaper on 16 September 2026.

Ms Okezie also informed the court that no interested person or organisation had come forward to challenge the forfeiture.

After considering the application and affidavit evidence, Judge Bogoro granted the application and ordered the final forfeiture of the properties to the Federal Government.

Proceeds of fraudulent activities

The commission alleged in the statement that the properties “were reasonably suspected to have been acquired with proceeds of unlawful activities.”

EFCC to file the application through its lawyer, Ms Okezie.

In a supporting affidavit accompanying EFCC’s forfeiture application, an EFCC operative, Buluebiere Karamo, stated that the commission received intelligence alleging that Mr Arinze led a syndicate of fraudsters operating in Lagos.

The EFCC alleged that he used the identity “Tonya” on iMessage to contact several victims in the United States. He allegedly instructed them to create foreign financial accounts, including Zelle, Apple Pay, PayPal, Cash App and Venmo.

The victims were then allegedly directed to transfer funds received through those accounts to a Chinese national identified as “Chinko Applepay”.

The Chinese national allegedly credited Mr Arinze’s Kuda Bank account with the naira equivalent of the funds. He then transferred the money to other members of the syndicate and retained 10 per cent as commission, according to the EFCC.

The commission maintained that an analysis of his Kuda Bank account allegedly revealed total inflows of N2,149,495,381.42 between August 2022 and February 2026.

“Further investigation revealed that Arinze operated 49 Gmail accounts, alongside several Facebook and Instagram accounts, which were allegedly used for his fraudulent activities.” the EFCC wrote.

it said arrested Mr Arinze on 20 April 2024 during a sting operation on Remi Olowude Street, Lekki, Lagos. Several other individuals were also arrested.

He was subsequently charged before the Federal High Court on two counts of computer-related fraud.

The EFCC said he pleaded guilty and was convicted on 5 June 2024 by Judge Aneke. The judge ordered him to be of good behaviour and desist from further involvement in cyber-related offences.

However, the commission alleged that he breached the terms of the judgement by continuing to engage in money laundering and computer-related fraud after his conviction and payment of the option of a fine.

The EFCC said it later received fresh intelligence indicating that Mr Arinze had continued his alleged fraudulent activities. This prompted another investigation.

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During the investigation, the commission said it traced the properties listed in the forfeiture application to proceeds of fraudulent activities committed after his earlier conviction.

Asset forfeiture

Nigeria’s Proceeds of Crime (Recovery and Management) Act 2022 provides for the recovery and forfeiture of assets reasonably suspected to have come from unlawful activities. The law allows courts to order forfeiture through civil proceedings, separately from criminal prosecutions. This means that an asset can be forfeited even without a criminal conviction against its owner.

The Act provides for a two-stage process. A court first issues an order to preserve the property while interested persons are notified and given an opportunity to challenge the forfeiture.

The court may then grant a final forfeiture order if the evidence establishes, on a balance of probabilities, that the property is linked to unlawful activity.