South African authorities have handed over six Nigerian nationals to the United States to face charges over an alleged romance fraud scheme said to have defrauded more than 100 women.
The South African Police Service (SAPS) said the suspects, who were arrested in the country in 2021, are wanted by US authorities for alleged wire fraud and money laundering.
The six men are also suspected of belonging to the Black Axe network, according to the police.
SAPS said the suspects allegedly defrauded women in the United States of more than R100 million through the scheme.
The extradition was coordinated by INTERPOL South Africa, with the suspects transferred from a correctional facility in Cape Town to Cape Town International Airport for handover to officials of the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the US Secret Service.
In a statement on Friday, SAPS said the US officials had arrived in South Africa ahead of the formal handover.
“The six Nigerian nationals were arrested in South Africa in 2021, following a major takedown operation conducted by the Hawks/DPCI,” the statement said.
It added that the suspects were transported to the airport “where they will be handed over to officials from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the United States Secret Service.”
“The formal handover is expected to take place this afternoon,” the police said.
The development is the latest in a series of international law enforcement operations involving Nigerian nationals accused of cyber-enabled and financial crimes.
In August, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) extradited two Nigerians, Mudashiru Afeez Olawale and Adebola Festus, to the United States over alleged online sexual exploitation and sextortion involving two teenage boys.
According to the investigation, the two suspects were allegedly involved in separate sextortion schemes targeting male minors, with the victims subsequently dying by suicide.
The South African case highlights the growing cooperation among law enforcement agencies across countries in investigating and prosecuting alleged transnational financial crimes, particularly schemes facilitated through the internet.
Leave a Reply