The Federal High Court in Abuja has ordered the final forfeiture of $163,592 fraudulently obtained from a United States-based law firm through an international impersonation scheme.
Justice M. S. Liman granted the non-conviction forfeiture order on Friday, November 6, 2026, following an application filed by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), led by senior advocate Ekele Iheanacho, SAN.
The court held that the respondent, Akpasi Michael Oziegbe, failed to establish lawful ownership of the funds. Justice Liman ruled that Oziegbe illegally engaged the services of a US law firm to collect a settlement sum from Applied Industrial Technologies—a company where he had never been employed.
According to court records, Oziegbe impersonated a former employee named Edward Campbell, claiming he was owed funds under an unpaid accident settlement. Relying on the representation, the law firm received a check for $165,157 on behalf of ‘Campbell’ and, after deducting legal fees, wired $163,592 to a domiciliary account operated by Micoz Bluelink Enterprise at United Bank for Africa (UBA) Plc on July 20, 2022.
The fraud came to light the following day when JP Morgan Chase Bank alerted the law firm that the check was altered and fictitious. Subsequent verifications by UBA and correspondent bank Citi Bank confirmed the fraudulent origin of the transfer, leading UBA to place a lien on the funds.
In a unexpected turn, Oziegbe petitioned the EFCC in May 2024 via his legal representatives, alleging conspiracy and improper conduct by UBA officials for withholding the funds. However, findings provided by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the EFCC’s Extractive Industry Fraud Section (EIFS) disproved Oziegbe’s claims that the money represented legitimate payment for supply contracts.
The EFCC previously secured a freezing order on September 9, 2024, followed by an interim forfeiture order on August 15, 2025. Following the final court ruling, the recovered $163,592 will be remitted back to the victimized US law firm through the Federal Government of Nigeria.
Oziegbe remains wanted by the EFCC in connection with the fraud.
