CAPE TOWN, Sept. 11 — South African authorities on Friday extradited six Nigerian nationals wanted in the United States over alleged online romance scams. The six men were handed over to U.S. officials at Cape Town International Airport on Friday afternoon, after being transferred from a correctional facility in Cape Town.
The extradition was facilitated by South Africa’s Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation, known as the Hawks, in cooperation with INTERPOL South Africa.
The suspects are wanted in the United States on charges of wire fraud and money laundering and are alleged to be members of the Black Axe organized criminal network, according to the Hawks.
“The suspects are alleged to have targeted more than 100 women in the United States, allegedly defrauding them of more than 100 million rand (about 6.2 million U.S. dollars) through online romance or love scams,” the Hawks said in a statement.
Among the alleged victims were pensioners and businesspeople who were targeted through sophisticated online relationships, the statement said. The six Nigerians were arrested in South Africa in 2021 following an operation conducted by the Hawks.
“This extradition demonstrates the continued cooperation between South African law enforcement agencies and international law enforcement partners in disrupting transnational organized crime and ensuring that suspects wanted in other jurisdictions face due legal process,” the Hawks said. (Namibia Daily News / Xinhua)
