A Nigerian-American, Oluwatobi Adegoke, has been remanded at the Kirikiri Correctional Centre in Lagos after pleading not guilty to a stealing charge linked to an alleged luxury vehicle import deal.
Justice Olubunmi Abike-Fadipe of the Special Offences Court, sitting in Ikeja, ordered his remand on Thursday, October 8, 2026, following his arraignment by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
The case stems from an investigation into an alleged cross-border vehicle import fraud involving more than $320,000, estimated at N434.88m. Adegoke was arrested by operatives of the EFCC’s Ilorin Zonal Directorate in July 2026.
According to the commission, preliminary investigations suggested that the defendant was allegedly linked to a United States-based syndicate accused of defrauding Nigerians by offering to purchase and ship vehicles from America.
The EFCC alleged that while living in the US, Adegoke advertised a 2024 Mercedes-Benz G63 AMG to prospective Nigerian buyers, claiming he could source and import the luxury vehicle. Investigators said two victims paid a combined amount exceeding $320,000 in connection with the alleged transaction.
However, the one-count charge presented in court cited a separate transaction involving $680,000 allegedly belonging to Ikechukwu Osita Ifeabunike.
The charge alleged that Adegoke dishonestly converted the money to his own use in December 2024 in Lagos. It stated that the funds had been transferred to the bank account of his company, Omosco Auto Sales LLC, for the purchase of a 2022 G-Wagon from a person identified as Mr Robinson.
Adegoke pleaded not guilty to the charge.
Following the plea, EFCC counsel Arazeem Adebayo asked the court to schedule the trial and remand the defendant in a correctional facility.
Defence counsel Olalekan Abiodun had earlier objected to the arraignment but was overruled by the court. He subsequently asked that his client be kept in EFCC custody pending the filing of a bail application, but the judge also rejected that request.
Justice Abike-Fadipe ordered Adegoke’s remand at the Kirikiri Correctional Centre and adjourned the case until January 13, 2027, for trial.
