Federal High Court sitting in Ikoyi, Lagos State, South-West Nigeria has ordered the final forfeiture of N17.1 million linked to alleged romance fraud suspect, Ifeanyi Alele David, to the Federal Government.
Justice A.O. Owoeye granted the order following an application by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC after no individual or organisation challenged an earlier interim forfeiture order published in a national newspaper.
According to the EFCC, investigations stemming from information provided by the FBI linked David to a romance scam involving a U.S. citizen who died by suicide in 2021 after allegedly sending about $154,500 dollars to the fraud scheme.
The Commission said forensic investigations traced digital evidence connected to the alleged fraud to David and identified the N17.1 million in his Access Bank account as suspected proceeds of unlawful activities.
The court subsequently ordered the permanent forfeiture of the funds to the Federal Government of Nigeria.
(Editor: Terverr Tyav)
