The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has arraigned a Nigerian-American, Oluwatobi Adegoke, before the Special Offences Court in Ikeja, Lagos State, over an alleged vehicle import fraud.
Adegoke was arraigned on Thursday, October 8, 2026, by the EFCC’s Ilorin Zonal Directorate before Justice Olubunmi Abike-Fadipe on a one-count charge bordering on stealing.
This was disclosed in a Monday statement uploaded by the commission on X, which said Adegoke was arrested in July 2026 over an alleged cross-border vehicle import fraud involving more than $320,000, approximately N434.88m.
The EFCC said preliminary investigations linked the defendant to a syndicate based in the United States that allegedly defrauded unsuspecting Nigerians under the guise of purchasing and importing vehicles from the country.
“Preliminary investigations revealed that the defendant allegedly belonged to a syndicate based in the United States that specialised in defrauding unsuspecting Nigerians under the guise of purchasing and importing vehicles from the US,” the statement read.
The commission said further investigations revealed that Adegoke, while residing in the United States, allegedly advertised photographs of a luxury vehicle to prospective buyers in Nigeria.
“Further investigation revealed that while residing in the United States, Adegoke allegedly advertised and circulated photographs of a 2024 Mercedes-Benz G63 AMG to prospective buyers in Nigeria, claiming that he could purchase and ship the luxury vehicle to them,” it stated.
According to the EFCC, two alleged victims paid a combined sum of more than $320,000 in connection with the transaction.
However, the one-count charge reproduced in the statement referred to an alleged incident in December 2024 involving $680,000 belonging to Ikechukwu Osita Ifeabunike.
The charge read, “Oluwatobi Adegoke sometime in December, 2024 at Lagos within the Ikeja judicial division, dishonestly converted to your own use, the sum of ($680000) property of Ikechukwu Osita Ifeabunike, being money transferred to the bank account of your company Omosco Auto Sales LLC for purchase of 2022 G Wagon from Mr Robinson.”
Adegoke pleaded not guilty to the charge.
Following his plea, EFCC counsel, Arazeem Adebayo, urged the court to fix a date for trial and remand the defendant in a correctional centre.
Defence counsel, Olalekan Abiodun, who had earlier been overruled on his objection to the arraignment, was also overruled when he applied for Adegoke to be remanded in EFCC custody pending the filing of his bail application.
Justice Abike-Fadipe subsequently ordered that the defendant be remanded at the Kirikiri Correctional Centre and adjourned the case until January 13, 2027, for trial.