EFCC Arraigns Suspected Crypto Fraudster Linked to FBI Case in Enugu

EFCC has arraigned a suspected crypto fraudster linked to FBI case in Enugu State.

 

NewsOnline Nigeria reports that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has arraigned Godslove Munachiso Obiwuru, a 26-year-old suspect wanted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), before Justice M. T. Segun-Bello of the Federal High Court, Independence Layout, Enugu, on a two-count charge of money laundering.

The first count alleges that Obiwuru, sometime in 2022, retained 0.042 Ethereum (worth $50) in a Binance wallet (address: 0xD62C9DA42BDe76a7Be113ABA225456C57320A569), knowing or reasonably expected to know that the funds were proceeds of an unlawful act, in violation of Section 20(a) of the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.

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Obiwuru pleaded not guilty to both counts. Following his plea, the EFCC, represented by Assistant Superintendent A.Y. Abdullahi, requested a trial date and for the defendant to be remanded in a correctional facility. The defense counsel, Abel Anih, however, sought a short date to file a bail application.

The court subsequently adjourned the matter for the hearing of the bail application, while Obiwuru was remanded in EFCC custody.

EFCC spokesperson Dele Oyewale stated that Obiwuru was arrested on August 5, 2025, following an FBI petition alleging his involvement in a cryptocurrency account takeover scheme.

The petition revealed that in November 2022, a Coinbase account belonging to a U.S. citizen was compromised, resulting in the theft of 90,410.126 Gold Retriever Tokens (GLDN), valued at approximately $307,394 at the time. Investigations indicated that part of the stolen funds were transferred to Obiwuru’s Binance account.

Further inquiries by the EFCC’s Special Task Force in Enugu also uncovered that the suspect allegedly received cryptocurrency stolen from two separate victims.