The South African Police Service (SAPS) announced the extradition on Friday, September 11, saying the six men were alleged members of the Black Axe network and were wanted by US authorities in connection with alleged wire fraud and money laundering.
“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.
According to the police, the suspects were arrested in South Africa in 2021 following a major operation by the Hawks.
South African authorities alleged that the suspects targeted more than 100 women in the United States through online romance or love scams, defrauding them of more than R100 million.
Through coordination between INTERPOL South Africa and the Hawks, the six men were transported from a correctional facility in Cape Town to Cape Town International Airport for handover to officials of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the United States Secret Service.
“The formal handover is expected to take place this afternoon,” SAPS said.
Hawks spokesperson Colonel Katlego Mogale said the extradition demonstrated continued cooperation between South African and international law enforcement agencies in tackling alleged 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,” Mogale said.
The development follows the extradition by Nigeria’s Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) in August of two Nigerians, Mudashiru Afeez Olawale and Adebola Festus, to the United States over separate allegations involving the online exploitation and sextortion of two teenage boys who later died by suicide.
US authorities alleged that FBI investigations linked the two men to separate sextortion schemes targeting male minors.
The allegations against the six Nigerians extradited from South Africa remain accusations and will be subject to the US legal process.
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