Frederick Kumi, popularly known as Abu Trica, has filed human rights lawsuit at the High Court in Accra, accusing the Ghanaian government and the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) of torture, unlawful detention, and violations of his fundamental rights following his arrest in December 2025.
The 27-year-old Ghanaian is seeking GH₵10 million in damages, alleging a coordinated campaign of “cruel, inhuman, and degrading treatment” after his apprehension on December 11, 2025. The lawsuit names the Minister for Interior, the Attorney-General, the Narcotics Control Commission (NACOC), the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO), and the FBI as respondents.
Court documents claim that on the day of his arrest, more than 15 armed officers stormed Kumi’s Airport Residential Area apartment while he was playing video games with friends. He alleges that he was handcuffed from morning until evening without access to food, water, or rest, and was subjected to coercive questioning by three foreign nationals identified as FBI agents.
Kumi further claims that the FBI agents forced him to sign documents he could not read and threatened to link him to fraudulent transactions worth up to $8 million unless he disclosed his phone passwords. The motion states:
“The decision and conduct of officers of the 2nd Respondent in permitting agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation… to interrogate the Applicant without access to Counsel, was unlawful and in violation of Articles 14 and 19 of the 1992 Constitution.”
While in custody, Kumi alleges that NACOC and EOCO officers raided his residence, known as “Abu Trica’s Mansion”, in Swedru. Among the items reportedly seized were luxury vehicles, multiple iPhones and MacBooks, gaming consoles, and high-end jewellery. The applicant claims that some of the items belonged to friends and that no inventory or receipts were provided for the confiscated property.
Kumi also accuses EOCO of prejudging the case by labeling him a “notorious cyber-criminal” in an official press release before any judicial determination of guilt, a move he claims violates his constitutional presumption of innocence.
In addition to the monetary claim, the lawsuit seeks court orders to prevent the State from extraditing or deporting him, bar the FBI from conducting investigations within Ghana, and exclude evidence allegedly obtained through coercive interrogations or unauthorized searches from any future proceedings.
The case, expected to be heard in February 2026, could set a significant precedent regarding foreign law enforcement involvement in Ghanaian investigations and the protections afforded to citizens in high-profile cybercrime cases.
