Nigerian-American Docked by EFCC Over Alleged $680,000 Car Import Scheme

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has brought charges against a Nigerian-American citizen, Oluwatobi Adegoke, at the Special Offences Court situated in Ikeja, Lagos State. The charges stem from an alleged scheme involving the fraudulent importation of vehicles.

Adegoke's arraignment took place on Thursday, October 8, 2026, where the EFCC's Ilorin Zonal Directorate presented a single count of stealing before Justice Olubunmi Abike-Fadipe. According to a statement released by the anti-graft agency on Monday via its X (formerly Twitter) platform, Adegoke was apprehended in July 2026. His arrest was in connection with an alleged cross-border vehicle import fraud amounting to over $320,000, which is approximately N434.88 million.

Preliminary investigations conducted by the EFCC suggest that the defendant is a member of a syndicate operating from the United States. This group is accused of deceiving unsuspecting Nigerians by promising to purchase and import vehicles from the US. The commission further detailed that Adegoke, while residing in the United States, allegedly promoted and shared images of a high-end 2024 Mercedes-Benz G63 AMG to potential buyers in Nigeria. He reportedly claimed he possessed the capability to procure and ship this luxury vehicle to them. The EFCC stated that two alleged victims collectively paid more than $320,000 in relation to these transactions.

The specific charge read out in court accused Oluwatobi Adegoke of, “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.”

Following the reading of the charge, Adegoke entered a plea of not guilty. The prosecuting counsel for the EFCC, Arazeem Adebayo, then requested the court to set a date for the trial and to remand the defendant in a correctional facility. The defence counsel, Olalekan Abiodun, had previously had his objection to the arraignment dismissed by the court. His subsequent request for Adegoke to be remanded in EFCC custody, pending the submission of his bail application, was also rejected. Justice Abike-Fadipe consequently ordered that Oluwatobi Adegoke be held at the Kirikiri Correctional Centre. The case has been adjourned until January 13, 2027, for the commencement of the trial.