The Federal High Court in Lagos has ordered the final forfeiture of two luxury Mercedes-Benz vehicles, mobile phones and other electronic devices linked to a convicted internet fraudster, Ifeanyi Franklyn Arinze, to the Federal Government of Nigeria.
Justice Yellim S. Bogoro issued the order on Monday, November 9, 2026, following an application by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
The properties include a white Mercedes-Benz GLE 53 AMG, a grey Mercedes-Benz GLC 300 AMG, an orange iPhone 17 Pro Max, a silver Samsung Fold 7, a blue iPhone 13 and a silver iPad. The EFCC alleged that the assets were acquired with proceeds of unlawful activities.
In an affidavit supporting the forfeiture application, an EFCC operative, Buluebiere Karamo, disclosed that the Commission received intelligence identifying Arinze as the leader of a syndicate allegedly involved in internet fraud in Lagos.
According to the affidavit, Arinze allegedly used the identity “Tonya” on iMessage to contact victims in the United States and persuade them to create foreign financial accounts on platforms such as Zelle, Apple Pay, PayPal, Cash App and Venmo.
The ๐๐จ๐ฎ๐ซ๐ญ ๐๐ซ๐๐๐ซ๐ฌ ๐ ๐ข๐ง๐๐ฅ ๐ ๐จ๐ซ๐๐๐ข๐ญ๐ฎ๐ซ๐ ๐จ๐ ๐๐ฐ๐จ ๐๐๐ซ๐๐๐๐๐ฌ-๐๐๐ง๐ณ ๐๐๐ก๐ข๐๐ฅ๐๐ฌ, ๐๐ฅ๐๐๐ญ๐ซ๐จ๐ง๐ข๐ ๐๐๐ฏ๐ข๐๐๐ฌ ๐ญ๐จ ๐ ๐
The Federal High Court in Lagos has ordered the final forfeiture of two luxury Mercedes-Benz vehicles, mobile phones and other electronic devices linked to a convicted internet fraudster, Ifeanyi Franklyn Arinze, to the Federal Government of Nigeria.
Justice Yellim S. Bogoro issued the order on Monday, November 9, 2026, following an application by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
The properties include a white Mercedes-Benz GLE 53 AMG, a grey Mercedes-Benz GLC 300 AMG, an orange iPhone 17 Pro Max, a silver Samsung Fold 7, a blue iPhone 13 and a silver iPad. The EFCC alleged that the assets were acquired with proceeds of unlawful activities.
In an affidavit supporting the forfeiture application, an EFCC operative, Buluebiere Karamo, disclosed that the Commission received intelligence identifying Arinze as the leader of a syndicate allegedly involved in internet fraud in Lagos.
According to the affidavit, Arinze allegedly used the identity “Tonya” on iMessage to contact victims in the United States and persuade them to create foreign financial accounts on platforms such as Zelle, Apple Pay, PayPal, Cash App and Venmo.
The EFCC alleged that the victims were subsequently instructed to transfer funds received through the accounts to a Chinese national identified as “Chinko Applepay”. The individual allegedly converted the funds into their naira equivalent and credited Arinze’s Kuda Bank account.
The affidavit stated that Arinze allegedly distributed the money to other members of the syndicate while retaining 10 per cent as commission.
An analysis of his Kuda Bank account reportedly showed total inflows of N2.149 billion between August 2022 and February 2026.
Further investigations allegedly revealed that Arinze operated 49 Gmail accounts and several Facebook and Instagram accounts, which were used in carrying out the fraudulent activities.
The Commission also disclosed that Arinze was arrested on April 20, 2024, during a sting operation at Remi Olowude Street, Lekki, Lagos, alongside other suspects.
He was subsequently arraigned before the Federal High Court on a two-count charge bordering on computer-related fraud. The EFCC said he pleaded guilty and was convicted on June 5, 2024, by Justice Aneke, who ordered him to maintain good behaviour and desist from further cyber-related offences.
However, the Commission alleged that Arinze violated the terms of the judgment by returning to money laundering and computer-related fraud after his conviction and payment of the option of a fine.
Fresh intelligence reportedly prompted another investigation, during which the EFCC discovered that the properties listed in the forfeiture application were allegedly acquired through fraudulent activities committed after his earlier conviction.
The court had initially granted an interim forfeiture order on July 17, 2026, directing the EFCC to publish the order in a national newspaper to allow any interested individual or organisation to show cause why the assets should not be permanently forfeited.
Moving the final forfeiture application, EFCC counsel, C.C. Okezie, told the court that the Commission complied with the directive by publishing the interim forfeiture order in The Guardian newspaper on September 16, 2026.
She further informed the court that no individual or organisation had appeared to contest the forfeiture or show cause why the properties should not be permanently forfeited.
Consequently, Justice Bogoro ordered the final forfeiture of the assets to the Federal Government.
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