The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has arraigned a Nigerian-American, Oluwatobi Adegoke, before the Special Offences Court in Ikeja, Lagos State, over an alleged vehicle import fraud involving hundreds of thousands of dollars.

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 of stealing.

The commission disclosed this in a statement published on its official X account on Monday.

According to the EFCC, preliminary investigations linked Adegoke to an alleged United States-based syndicate accused of defrauding Nigerians under the guise of purchasing and importing vehicles from the US.

The commission said the defendant was arrested in July 2026 over an alleged cross-border fraud involving more than 320,000 dollars, estimated at ₦434.88 million.

The EFCC alleged that Adegoke, while residing in the United States, advertised and circulated photographs of a 2024 Mercedes-Benz G63 AMG to prospective buyers in Nigeria, claiming he could purchase and ship the luxury vehicle to them.

Two alleged victims reportedly paid a combined sum exceeding $320,000 in connection with the transaction.

However, the one-count charge reproduced in the commission’s statement detailed a separate alleged transaction involving $680,000 belonging to Ikechukwu Osita Ifeabunike.

The charge alleged that Adegoke dishonestly converted the money to his personal use in December 2024 in Lagos.

The funds were reportedly transferred to the bank account of his company, Omosco Auto Sales LLC, for the purchase of a 2022 G-Wagon through an individual identified as Mr Robinson.Adegoke pleaded not guilty to the charge.

Following his plea, EFCC counsel, Arazeem Adebayo, urged the court to adjourn the case for trial and remand the defendant in a correctional facility.

Defence counsel, Olalekan Abiodun, had earlier raised an objection to the arraignment, but the court overruled it.

The judge also rejected his subsequent application for Adegoke to remain in EFCC custody pending the filing of his bail application.

Justice Abike-Fadipe ordered that the defendant be remanded at the Kirikiri Correctional Centre in Lagos and adjourned the case until January 13, 2027, for trial.

The allegations have yet to be established in court, and Adegoke’s plea of not guilty means the prosecution must prove its case against him.