Six Nigerian nationals accused of defrauding more than 100 women in the United States through online romance scams have been extradited from South Africa to the US.
According to a post on X on Friday by the South African Police Service, the suspects, who were arrested in South Africa in 2021, are alleged to be members of the Black Axe organised criminal network.
“The Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (DPCI), commonly known as the #Hawks, in collaboration with #INTERPOL South Africa, will today facilitate the extradition of six Nigerian nationals to the United States of America,” SAPS said.
SAPS said the six men were wanted by US authorities over allegations of wire fraud and money laundering.
According to the SAPS, the suspects “allegedly defrauding them of more than R100 million through online romance/love scams.”
The Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation, known as the Hawks, said the suspects were handed over to officials from the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the United States Secret Service at Cape Town International Airport on Friday.
Eye Witness News quoted Hawks spokesperson, Colonel Katlego Mogale, as saying, “Through the coordination of INTERPOL South Africa, the six will today be transported from a correctional facility in Cape Town to Cape Town International Airport, where they will be handed over to officials from the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the United States Secret Service.”
Mogale said the extradition reflected cooperation between South African and international law enforcement agencies in tackling transnational organised crime.
”This extradition demonstrates the continued cooperation between South African law enforcement agencies and international law enforcement partners in disrupting transnational organised crime and ensuring that suspects wanted in other jurisdictions face due legal process,” he said.
By: Okiki Adeduyite
