The Federal High Court in Lagos Division has ordered the final forfeiture of two luxury Mercedes-Benz vehicles, mobile phones, and other electronic devices linked to convicted internet fraudster Ifeanyi Arinze to the federal government.

Justice Yellim Bogoro issued the forfeiture order on Monday, following an application by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, according to a statement by the anti-graft agency.

The forfeited vehicles are a white Mercedes-Benz GLE 53 AMG and a grey Mercedes-Benz GLC 300 AMG. It said the electronic devices comprised an orange iPhone 17 Pro Max, a silver Samsung Fold 7, a blue iPhone 13 and a silver iPad.

“The properties were reasonably suspected to have been acquired with proceeds of unlawful activities. The judge issued the order following an application for final forfeiture filed by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), through its counsel, C.C. Okezie,” the statement said.

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

The affidavit stated that Mr Arinze allegedly used the identity ‘Tonya’ on iMessage to contact several victims in the United States and persuade them to open foreign financial accounts, including Zelle, Apple Pay, PayPal, Cash App and Venmo.

He allegedly instructed the victims to transfer the funds they received into the accounts to a Chinese national known as ‘Chinko Applepay’, who then credited Mr Arinze’s Kuda Bank account with the naira equivalent.

The EFCC alleged that Mr Arinze then distributed the funds among other members of the syndicate while retaining 10 per cent as commission.

An analysis of his Kuda Bank account showed inflows totalling N2.14 billion between August 2022 and February 2026.

The agency disclosed that investigations showed Mr Arinze operated 49 Gmail accounts, along with several Facebook and Instagram accounts, allegedly used for fraudulent activities.

Mr Arinze was arrested on April 20, 2024, during a sting operation at Remi Olowude Street, Lekki, Lagos, alongside several other individuals. He was subsequently charged with two counts of computer-related fraud.

The EFCC said he pleaded guilty and was convicted on June 5, 2024.

However, the agency alleged that Mr Arinze re-offended, prompting fresh investigations. It stated that the properties listed in the forfeiture application were acquired with proceeds of fraudulent activities committed after his earlier conviction.

The court granted an interim forfeiture order on July 17, 2026, and directed the EFCC to publish it in a national newspaper to allow interested persons or entities to contest the forfeiture.

Moving the application for final forfeiture, the EFCC’s counsel, C.C. Okezie, told the court that the agency complied with the directive by publishing the interim order in The Guardian newspaper on September 16, 2026.

She said no individual or organisation had come forward to show cause why the properties should not be permanently forfeited.

After considering the application and affidavit evidence presented by the EFCC, the judge granted the application and ordered the final forfeiture of the properties.