Frederick Kumi, a 27-year-old Ghanaian arrested over alleged cyber fraud, has filed a human rights lawsuit against the Government of Ghana and the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), claiming torture, unlawful detention and constitutional violations during his December arrest.
The lawsuit, filed Monday at the Human Rights Division of the High Court in Accra, names the Minister for the Interior, the Narcotics Control Commission (NACOC), the FBI, the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO), and the Attorney-General as respondents.
Kumi, popularly known as Abu Trica, is seeking GHC10 million in compensation for what his lawyers describe in court filings as cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment following his arrest on December 11, 2025.
According to the motion, more than 15 armed officers stormed Kumi’s apartment in Accra’s Airport Residential Area while he was with friends. He claims he was immediately handcuffed and kept restrained from morning until late evening without access to food, water or rest.
The most serious allegations concern the involvement of foreign agents. Kumi claims that while in Ghanaian custody, three men introduced as FBI agents interrogated him without a lawyer present and forced him to sign documents he could not read due to limited literacy.
His lawyers argue that permitting foreign officers to question him without counsel violated Articles 14 and 19 of Ghana’s 1992 Constitution, which protect personal liberty and fair trial rights. The motion states that the decision to allow FBI agents to interrogate the applicant without access to counsel was unlawful.
Kumi alleges the agents threatened to link him to fraudulent transactions worth up to eight million United States dollars if he refused to provide passwords to his mobile phones.
While he remained in custody, Kumi claims officers from NACOC and EOCO carried out searches at his residence in Swedru, known as Abu Trica’s Mansion, without authorisation or his presence. He contends that security officers seized multiple vehicles, including a Lamborghini, a Mercedes and a Tesla Cybertruck, as well as electronic devices such as iPhones, laptops, a PlayStation 5 console and a Starlink modem.
Jewellery and luxury watches were also allegedly taken. The applicant claims officers failed to provide an inventory or receipts for the confiscated items and that some of the property belonged to friends.
He also accuses EOCO of prejudicing his right to a fair trial by labelling him a notorious cyber-criminal in a public statement before any court determination of guilt.
In addition to monetary damages, Kumi is asking the court to exclude any evidence obtained during what he calls coercive interrogations and unlawful searches. He is also seeking an interlocutory injunction to prevent his extradition or deportation pending the case and an order restraining the FBI from exercising investigative or interrogation powers over him within Ghana.
Kumi was arrested following a United States indictment accusing him of being part of a criminal network that allegedly defrauded elderly American victims of more than eight million dollars through romance scams. United States prosecutors allege the network used artificial intelligence software to assume false identities and cultivate online relationships with victims since 2023.
The investigation was led by the FBI Cleveland Division in collaboration with several Ghanaian agencies, including EOCO, the Ghana Police Service, the Ghana Cyber Security Authority, NACOC, and the National Intelligence Bureau.
The case, expected to be heard in February 2026, could test the limits of foreign law enforcement activity in Ghana and clarify the scope of constitutional protections for suspects in cross-border cybercrime investigations.
