Court Orders Forfeiture of Two Luxury Mercedes-Benz Cars and Gadgets Linked to Lagos Big Boy to FG

The Federal High Court in Lagos has ordered the final forfeiture of two Mercedes-Benz vehicles and four electronic devices linked to convicted internet fra¥dster, Ifeanyi Franklyn Arinze, to the Federal Government.

Justice Yellim S. Bogoro issued the order on November 9, 2026, following an application by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

The vehicles are a white Mercedes-Benz GLE 53 AMG and a grey Mercedes-Benz GLC 300 AMG. The gadgets include an iPhone 17 Pro Max, Samsung Fold 7, iPhone 13 and an iPad.

According to an EFCC affidavit, Arinze allegedly led a fra¥d syndicate in Lagos. Using the identity “Tonya” on iMessage, he reportedly contacted victims in the United States and instructed them to create accounts on Zelle, Apple Pay, PayPal, Cash App and Venmo.

The victims were allegedly directed to transfer funds to a Chinese national identified as “Chinko Applepay”, who converted the money to naira and transferred it to Arinze’s Kuda Bank account. He allegedly shared the proceeds with syndicate members while retaining 10 per cent as commission.

An analysis of his account reportedly revealed inflows of ₦2,149,495,381.42 between August 2022 and February 2026. Investigators also discovered that he operated 49 Gmail accounts and several Facebook and Instagram accounts allegedly used for fraud.

Arinze was arrested on April 20, 2024, during a sting operation in Lekki. He later pleaded guilty to a two-count computer-related fraud charge and was convicted on June 5, 2024, by Justice Aneke, who ordered him to maintain good behaviour and avoid cyber-related offences.

However, the EFCC alleged that he returned to fra¥d and money la¥ndering after his conviction and payment of a fine.