A Federal High Court in Ikoyi, Lagos, has ordered the final forfeiture of N17,100,595.40 linked to an alleged romance fraud scheme connected to the tragic suicide of a United States citizen.
Justice A.O. Owoeye issued the order on Monday, June 1, 2026, following an application by the Lagos Zonal Directorate 1 of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
The forfeited funds, domiciled in an Access Bank account, are linked to one Ifeanyi Alele David, who is under investigation by the anti-graft agency for alleged involvement in romance fraud and related criminal activities.
The EFCC, through its counsel, C.C. Okezie, informed the court that an interim forfeiture order had earlier been granted on February 26, 2026, with a directive that the order be published in a national newspaper to allow any interested party to challenge the forfeiture.
Okezie told the court that the Commission complied with the directive by publishing the notice in The Punch newspaper on April 10, 2026. She further stated that no individual or organisation came forward within the stipulated period to contest the application.
The motion for final forfeiture was supported by an affidavit deposed to by an EFCC operative, Samson Aguma, who outlined the findings of the Commission’s investigation.
According to the affidavit, the EFCC received intelligence from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) alleging that David was involved in a romance scam network linked to the death of an American woman.
Investigators revealed that on September 15, 2021, the victim took her own life in a hotel room in Denver, Colorado. Following the discovery of her body, law enforcement officers recovered her mobile phone and found multiple conversations with an individual identified as “Garry Micheal” on the Google Hangouts platform.
The investigation reportedly showed that the suspect repeatedly solicited money from the victim under false pretences, including claims that he needed funds to secure his release from prison and facilitate his return to the United States.
The affidavit further disclosed that on the day of her death, the suspect allegedly demanded an additional $60,000 from the victim despite her expressing severe financial hardship and indicating that she had exhausted her resources.
According to findings cited by the EFCC, the victim transferred approximately $154,500 between August 30 and September 13, 2021, through various channels linked to the fraudulent operation.
Aguma stated that forensic investigations traced email accounts, internet protocol (IP) addresses, telephone records and an Apple iCloud account associated with the scam to David in Nigeria.
The EFCC maintained that the N17.1 million discovered in David’s Access Bank account constituted proceeds of unlawful activities and formed part of funds generated from the alleged romance fraud scheme.
After reviewing the evidence and submissions presented by the Commission, Justice Owoeye held that the application was meritorious and ordered the final forfeiture of the N17,100,595.40 to the Federal Government of Nigeria.
