ACCRA, Ghana — On December 11, 2025, over fifteen armed security officers stormed a residence in the lush Airport Residential area of Accra.
They were there for Frederick Kumi, a 27-year-old Ghanaian citizen better known to his social media followers as “Abu Trica”.
What followed was an arrest that has now ignited a high-stakes legal firestorm, pitting a young man from the town of Swedru against the combined forces of the Ghanaian government and the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).
In a lawsuit filed in the Human Rights Division of the High Court of Accra, Kumi alleges that his arrest was less a standard law enforcement operation and more a “cruel, inhuman and degrading” ordeal.
He claims he was kept in handcuffs for nearly twelve hours without food, water, or access to a lawyer, while being interrogated by a multi-agency task force that included U.S. federal agents.
The ‘Abu Trica’ Persona
To the public, Kumi was “Abu Trica,” the owner of a lavish residence in Swedru known as “Abu Trica’s Mansion”. His fleet of vehicles—seized during the raid—included a Lamborghini, a Mercedes, and a Tesla Cybertruck.
But to the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO) and the FBI, Kumi was something else entirely.
In a press release issued shortly after his arrest, EOCO described him as a “notorious cyber-criminal” at the heart of an $8 million romance scam.
Authorities allege Kumi was part of a criminal network that used artificial intelligence to impersonate romantic interests, targeting elderly victims across the United States to siphon away millions.
The Legal Battlefront
The lawsuit, spearheaded by prominent Ghanaian lawyer Oliver Barker-Vormawor, argues that Kumi’s constitutional rights were trampled from the moment the officers “barged” into his apartment.
Central to the claim is the role of the FBI. Kumi alleges he was interrogated by three foreign agents without legal representation present.
His legal team argues that these agents possess “no independent police, investigative, arrest, detention, or interrogation powers within the territory of the Republic of Ghana“.
Kumi also claims he was coerced into signing documents he could not fully understand due to limited literacy and was forced to surrender the passwords to his electronic devices under threat.
“The determination of this action… will directly affect the legality of my arrest,” Kumi stated in his affidavit, as he faces the looming threat of extradition to the United States.
If extradited and convicted on charges of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and money laundering, he could face up to 20 years in a U.S. federal prison.
A “Reputation” in Tatters
Beyond the legalities, the case highlights the power of social media in modern law enforcement. Kumi alleges that officers recorded him while he was in handcuffs and disseminated the footage online, leading to public ridicule.
The court filing includes screenshots of social media comments where users debated his guilt and mocked his predicament. Kumi argues that the “notorious cyber-criminal” label applied by authorities before any trial has “prejudiced [his] right to be presumed innocent”.
As the case moves toward a hearing later this month, the High Court must decide whether the methods used to catch a suspected international scammer crossed the line into human rights violations.
This article was edited with AI and reviewed by human editors
