Police authorities in South Africa have extradited six Nigerians to the United States of America over allegations of scamming over 100 women in a romance scam scheme.
South African Police Service (SAPS) in a statement on Friday, said the six Nigerians are alleged members of the Black Axe network, who are wanted by US authorities in connection with charges of wire fraud and money laundering.
SAPS said the suspects will be moved from a correctional facility in Cape Town to the airport, where they will be handed over to officials of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the United States Secret Service.
The South African police said the suspects, who were taken into custody in 2021, allegedly defrauded women in the US over R100 million.
“The six Nigerian nationals were arrested in South Africa in 2021, following a major takedown operation conducted by the Hawks/DPCI,” the statement reads.
“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 (FBI) and the United States Secret Service, who arrived in South Africa this morning.
“The formal handover is expected to take place this afternoon.”
This is coming after the anti-graft agency (EFCC) in August, extradited two Nigerians to the US over alleged online sexual exploitation and sextortion of two teenage boys who later died by suicide.
Mudashiru Afeez Olawale and Adebola Festus were extradited after US FBI’s investigations allegedly linked them to separate sextortion schemes targeting male minors.
