South Africa extradites six Nigerians to US over alleged fraud

The South African Police Service (SAPS) says it is extraditing six Nigerians suspected of being members of the Black Axe ‌organised crime network to the United States.

The service disclosed in a statement on Friday that the Nigerians are being extradited for their involvement in an online romance scam and cyberfraud which targeted over 100 American women.

It said the organised crime network defrauded victims of more than $6.2 million. The victims are mostly businesspeople and pensioners.

“The six men are alleged to be members of the Black Axe organised criminal network and are #WANTED by the US authorities in connection with charges of wire fraud and money laundering,” the statement said.

The police said the victims were targeted “through sophisticated online relationships used to defraud them of their money.”

The SAPS, however, did not identify or provide any information about the Nigerians being extradited.

Black Axe is an international confraternity with Nigerian roots and is considered a global threat. The mafia-style gang is tied to human trafficking, internet fraud and murder.

PREMIUM TIMES reported two weeks ago that an eight-month international operation involving 22 countries, including Nigeria and South Africa, led to the arrest of 58 suspects and the identification of 263 others linked to Black Axe and other West African organised crime networks.

But the Nigerians to be handed over by the South African authorities to the FBI were arrested in 2021 following a “major takedown operation” conducted by the police elite Hawks unit.

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“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 statement read.

“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,” the police also stated.