EFCC Arraigns 26-Year-Old in Enugu Over Alleged Cryptocurrency Fraud Linked to FBI Probe

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Enugu Zonal Directorate, has arraigned a 26-year-old suspect, Godslove Munachiso Obiwuru, before Justice M.T. Segun-Bello of the Federal High Court, Enugu, on charges of money laundering.

Obiwuru, identified by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) as a suspect in a cryptocurrency account takeover scheme, was docked on a two-count charge. He is accused of unlawfully retaining digital assets traced to cybercrime proceeds.

According to one of the charges, Obiwuru allegedly kept 0.042 Ethereum—valued at about $50—in a Binance wallet in 2022, funds said to be linked to illegal activities, in violation of the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.

The defendant pleaded not guilty to both counts. Following the plea, EFCC counsel, A.Y. Abdullahi, requested the court to fix a trial date and remand the suspect in a correctional facility. Defence lawyer, Abel Anih, however, sought a short adjournment to file a bail application. The court adjourned for the hearing of the bail application and ordered the defendant’s remand in EFCC custody.

Obiwuru was arrested on August 5, 2025, after the FBI petitioned the EFCC, alleging his involvement in a cryptocurrency auctioning scam. The petition detailed how a U.S. citizen’s Coinbase account was hacked in November 2022, resulting in the theft of 90,410.126 Gold Retriever Tokens (GLDN), worth about $307,394 at the time.

Investigations revealed that part of the stolen cryptocurrency was traced to Obiwuru’s Binance account. EFCC operatives also alleged he received digital assets stolen from two different victims.