Six Nigerian nationals\u00a0accused of belonging\u00a0to the Black\u00a0Axe organised-crime\u00a0network have been\u00a0extradited from South\u00a0Africa to the\u00a0United States to\u00a0face charges arising\u00a0from an alleged\u00a0international romance-scam\u00a0operation that prosecutors\u00a0say defrauded more\u00a0than 100 American\u00a0women of over\u00a0$6 million.<\/p>\n
The men, who\u00a0were arrested in\u00a0Cape Town in\u00a02021, were handed\u00a0over to officials\u00a0from the Federal\u00a0Bureau of Investigation\u00a0(FBI) and the\u00a0U.S. Secret\u00a0Service at Cape\u00a0Town International Airport\u00a0on Friday, according\u00a0to South African\u00a0authorities.<\/p>\n
They are wanted in the United States on allegations including wire fraud and money laundering. South Africa’s Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation, known as the Hawks, said the alleged victims included pensioners and businesspeople who were\u00a0 drawn into sophisticated online relationships before being persuaded to send money.<\/p>\n
The alleged scheme\u00a0highlights the increasingly\u00a0international nature of\u00a0organised cybercrime, with\u00a0criminal groups using\u00a0social media, dating\u00a0platforms, cryptocurrencies, bank accounts and\u00a0money-laundering networks\u00a0to move proceeds\u00a0across borders.<\/p>\n
The suspects are\u00a0alleged to be\u00a0members of Black\u00a0Axe, a transnational\u00a0criminal organisation that\u00a0INTERPOL says has\u00a0been linked to\u00a0a significant share\u00a0of cyber-enabled\u00a0financial fraud, including\u00a0romance scams, cryptocurrency\u00a0and investment fraud\u00a0and business-email\u00a0compromise.<\/p>\n
INTERPOL’s eight-month\u00a0Operation Jackal IV, which ran from\u00a0November 2025 to\u00a0June 2026, involved\u00a0law-enforcement agencies\u00a0from 23 countries\u00a0across six continents. The operation resulted\u00a0in 58 arrests\u00a0and the identification\u00a0of 263 suspects\u00a0linked to West\u00a0African organised-crime\u00a0networks.<\/p>\n
South Africa was\u00a0one of the\u00a0principal locations targeted.<\/p>\n
According to INTERPOL, South African authorities\u00a0raided seven locations\u00a0in Johannesburg linked\u00a0to a syndicate\u00a0allegedly running romance\u00a0and investment scams\u00a0against retirees in\u00a0English-speaking countries. Thirty-nine people\u00a0were arrested, 257\u00a0bank accounts were\u00a0blocked and assets\u00a0worth about $2.67\u00a0million were seized.<\/p>\n
The investigation found\u00a0that the Johannesburg\u00a0network allegedly divided\u00a0the scam process\u00a0between different operators, including so-called\u00a0“conversion” and “retention” agents, illustrating the\u00a0organised and compartmentalised\u00a0nature of some\u00a0modern romance-fraud\u00a0operations.<\/p>\n
The latest extradition\u00a0is not the\u00a0first major international\u00a0case involving alleged\u00a0Black Axe activity\u00a0in South Africa.
\nIn 2021, U.S. authorities charged\u00a0several alleged leaders\u00a0of the organisation’s\u00a0Cape Town zone\u00a0with conspiracy to\u00a0commit wire fraud\u00a0and money laundering. The U.S. Department of Justice\u00a0said the alleged\u00a0schemes operated from\u00a0Cape Town for\u00a0years and included\u00a0romance scams and\u00a0advance-fee fraud.<\/p>\n
According to the\u00a0U.S. indictment, victims were contacted\u00a0through social-media\u00a0and dating websites\u00a0and were persuaded\u00a0to send money\u00a0or valuable items\u00a0after being told\u00a0stories involving supposed\u00a0travel difficulties, business\u00a0problems and other\u00a0emergencies.<\/p>\n
One alleged Cape\u00a0Town leader, Nigerian\u00a0national Enorense Izevbigie, was subsequently extradited\u00a0to the United\u00a0States. U.S. prosecutors said he\u00a0was involved in\u00a0internet-fraud schemes\u00a0between 2011 and\u00a02021, including romance\u00a0scams and advance-fee schemes.<\/p>\n
Fraud extends beyond\u00a0romance scams<\/strong><\/p>\n South African authorities\u00a0have also investigated\u00a0Nigerians in\u00a0other alleged financial-crime cases.<\/p>\n In one investigation, South African police\u00a0said a Nigerian\u00a0national was among\u00a0suspects linked to\u00a0an alleged scheme\u00a0in which a\u00a0victim was persuaded\u00a0to transfer more\u00a0than\u00a0R3.4 million\u00a0after being told\u00a0that money was\u00a0needed for a\u00a0relative’s medical expenses. Police said the\u00a0funds were subsequently\u00a0distributed among alleged\u00a0accomplices and that\u00a0the case involved\u00a0allegations of fraud\u00a0and money laundering.<\/p>\n The cases demonstrate\u00a0why South African\u00a0and international investigators\u00a0increasingly treat sophisticated\u00a0financial fraud as\u00a0organised crime rather\u00a0than isolated incidents\u00a0of internet deception.<\/p>\n Drug-trafficking investigations<\/strong><\/p>\n South African police\u00a0have also reported\u00a0a number of\u00a0arrests involving Nigerian\u00a0nationals in drug-related investigations.<\/p>\n In April 2025, South African police\u00a0said two Nigerian\u00a0nationals were detained\u00a0during an intelligence-led operation in\u00a0the Western Cape\u00a0after officers allegedly\u00a0discovered methamphetamine\u00a0at two premises. Police valued one\u00a0seizure at approximately\u00a0R795,000 and another\u00a0at R135,000.<\/p>\n In March 2025, SAPS also arrested\u00a0a Nigerian national\u00a0at OR Tambo\u00a0International Airport on\u00a0suspicion of drug\u00a0trafficking after an\u00a0X-ray examination\u00a0allegedly showed that\u00a0he had swallowed\u00a0objects suspected to\u00a0contain cocaine.<\/p>\n Another operation in\u00a0October 2025 resulted\u00a0in the arrest\u00a0of a 44-year-old Nigerian after police\u00a0seized 55.8kg of\u00a0crystal methamphetamine\u00a0and 30.5kg of\u00a0cocaine from a\u00a0truck near the\u00a0Huguenot Tunnel. SAPS\u00a0estimated the total\u00a0street value of\u00a0the drugs at\u00a0about R19 million.<\/p>\n In a separate\u00a02025 operation in\u00a0Mpumalanga, two Nigerian\u00a0nationals were among\u00a0five people arrested\u00a0in connection with\u00a0alleged drug dealing\u00a0after police recovered\u00a0Mandrax and crystal\u00a0methamphetamine.<\/p>\n South African authorities’ investigations reflect\u00a0a wider concern\u00a0about criminal networks\u00a0that operate across\u00a0national borders.<\/p>\n INTERPOL says West\u00a0African organised-crime\u00a0groups increasingly use\u00a0international networks\u00a0to facilitate cyber\u00a0fraud, money laundering, cryptocurrency transactions, investment scams and\u00a0other forms of\u00a0financial crime. The\u00a0organisation’s recent operations\u00a0have therefore focused\u00a0not only on\u00a0arresting individuals but\u00a0also on tracing\u00a0and freezing the\u00a0money generated by\u00a0criminal activity.<\/p>\n The United States\u00a0has likewise stepped\u00a0up prosecutions of\u00a0alleged Nigerian-linked\u00a0romance-fraud networks. In\u00a0May 2026, U.S. authorities announced\u00a0the extradition of\u00a0Samuel\u00a0Ugberaese from Nigeria\u00a0to face charges\u00a0arising from an\u00a0alleged romance-fraud\u00a0and money-laundering\u00a0conspiracy targeting victims\u00a0in the United\u00a0States and elsewhere.<\/p>\n The repeated appearance of Nigerian nationals in some South African organised-crime investigations has also become politically and socially sensitive, particularly amid longstanding tensions\u00a0 involving immigration, unemployment and xenophobia.<\/p>\n South African and\u00a0international authorities’\u00a0cases concern specific\u00a0suspects and alleged\u00a0criminal organisations.\u00a0They do not\u00a0establish that Nigerians\u00a0living in South\u00a0Africa generally participate\u00a0in crime.<\/p>\n Indeed, Nigerians constitute\u00a0a sizeable migrant\u00a0and business community\u00a0in South Africa, with many living\u00a0and working lawfully\u00a0in the country. At the same\u00a0time, South African\u00a0authorities have continued\u00a0to investigate individual\u00a0Nigerian nationals and\u00a0alleged transnational networks\u00a0for offences ranging\u00a0from cyber fraud\u00a0and\u00a0money laundering to\u00a0drug trafficking.<\/p>\n The distinction is\u00a0particularly important\u00a0in a country\u00a0where foreign nationals\u00a0have repeatedly been\u00a0subjected to xenophobic\u00a0attacks and where\u00a0crime-related allegations\u00a0can fuel\u00a0hostility against entire\u00a0migrant communities.<\/p>\n For the six\u00a0men extradited on\u00a0Friday, the next\u00a0stage of the\u00a0case will take\u00a0place in the\u00a0United States, where\u00a0they are expected\u00a0to face the\u00a0charges for which\u00a0they are wanted.<\/p>\n Their transfer underscores\u00a0the increasingly limited\u00a0ability of suspects\u00a0in international fraud\u00a0cases to shield\u00a0themselves simply\u00a0by operating from\u00a0another country.<\/p>\n The cooperation between\u00a0the Hawks, INTERPOL, the FBI and\u00a0the U.S. Secret Service also\u00a0demonstrates how law-enforcement agencies are\u00a0increasingly following\u00a0criminal proceeds across\u00a0borders rather than\u00a0treating cybercrime as\u00a0a problem confined\u00a0to the\u00a0country where a\u00a0victim lives.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The six suspects\u00a0remain entitled to\u00a0due process, and\u00a0the allegations against\u00a0them have yet\u00a0to be tested\u00a0in a U.S. court.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Six Nigerian nationals\u00a0accused of belonging\u00a0to the Black\u00a0Axe organised-crime\u00a0network have been\u00a0extradited from South\u00a0Africa to the\u00a0United States to\u00a0face charges arising\u00a0from an alleged\u00a0international romance-scam\u00a0operation that prosecutors\u00a0say defrauded more\u00a0than 100 American\u00a0women of over\u00a0$6 million. The men, who\u00a0were arrested in\u00a0Cape Town in\u00a02021, were handed\u00a0over to officials\u00a0from the Federal\u00a0Bureau of Investigation\u00a0(FBI) and the\u00a0U.S. Secret\u00a0Service at Cape\u00a0Town International Airport\u00a0on Friday, according\u00a0to South […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":100197,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5807,7,5787],"tags":[721,8678,50,316],"class_list":["post-100196","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-crime-and-violence","category-news","category-world","tag-nigerians","tag-romance","tag-scam","tag-south-africa"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/100196","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=100196"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/100196\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":100200,"href":"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/100196\/revisions\/100200"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/100197"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=100196"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=100196"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=100196"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}