A Nigerian-born entrepreneur in Houston, Edikan Adiakpan, once celebrated for running a high-end concierge service for celebrities, has been arrested over his alleged role in a multimillion-dollar fraud scheme in the United States.

Adiakpan, 33, is the co-founder of Akama Lifestyle, a luxury transportation and concierge company that caters to athletes, entertainers and wealthy clients with exotic cars, yachts and even private jets.

In a 2021 interview with ABC13 Houston, Edikan and his brother Edifon were profiled as Nigerian immigrants who had turned their passion for cars into a booming business.

At the time, Edikan described the company as a “virtuous lifestyle” brand, offering Rolls-Royces, Bentleys, Ferraris and personal lifestyle management for high-net-worth individuals.

Edikan said, “Akama means ‘big’ in African, and it also comes from an old Indian language meaning ‘virtuous’, so it kind of sums it up.

“We are a concierge service specialising in exotic car rentals, exotic car sales, and chauffeur and limo services.”

But now, federal authorities say he played a central role in a business email compromise and money laundering scheme that defrauded companies across eight US states, including a California research firm focused on treatments for US veterans.

Adiakpan was arrested and is expected to appear before a US magistrate judge in Houston.

A federal grand jury indicted him on June 11, 2025, on three counts: conspiracy to commit wire fraud, money laundering conspiracy and illegal money transmission.

Prosecutors allege that Edikan and others sent spoofed emails to victims, redirecting payments to bank accounts they controlled.

The funds were then laundered through various accounts and converted into cashier’s checks, which Edikan allegedly cashed while keeping a percentage as a fee.

If convicted, he faces up to 20 years in federal prison on the wire fraud and money laundering charges and up to five years for illegal money transmission.

Each charge also carries a maximum $250,000 fine.

He has not yet been convicted, and under US law, all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty in court.

Another Nigerian, Ayobami Omoniyi, 26, was earlier charged in the same case and is awaiting sentencing.

Before the indictment, Adiakpan had been profiled by multiple outlets as a rising star in Houston’s luxury service industry.

In a 2021 feature in L’Officiel Cyprus, he spoke of his passion for philanthropy and working with homeless outreach organisations.

“I believe that the more successful we are, the more we should focus on giving back.

“When we give back, we are creating a better world for others, for businesses, in a sense for everyone,” he was quoted as saying.

He told ABC13 Houston in 2021 how his parents decided to move to the US in hopes of providing the family a “better life”.

“Everybody wants to have a better life when they come out here to the States, so that’s one of the reasons why we came out here. Just to explore and live the American dream,” Edikan said.

The FBI and IRS Criminal Investigation division are leading the probe into the case. (The PUNCH, excluding headline)