South Africa: Six Nigerians extradited to the United States for online fraud

South African authorities initiated the extradition of six Nigerian nationals to the United States on Friday, September 11, 2026, where they face charges related to online romance scams and money laundering. The Hawks, South Africa’s priority crime investigation unit, along with Interpol South Africa, are overseeing their transfer to U.S. authorities.

The South African police estimate that losses attributed to the romance scams exceed 100 million rand. According to Associated Press, the six men are accused of defrauding American women of more than 6 million dollars after establishing fake relationships with them online.

The case dates back to 2021, when the U.S. Department of Justice indicted eight Nigerian nationals in two federal cases for alleged electronic fraud, money laundering, and, for some, aggravated identity theft. U.S. prosecutors identify several of the accused as leaders of the Cape branch of the Neo Black Movement of Africa, also known as Black Axe. These allegations remain to be proven in court, and the defendants are presumed innocent.

According to the U.S. indictments, the alleged network used dating sites, social media, internet phone numbers, and multiple fictitious identities to approach its victims. Investigators claim that some victims were then persuaded to send money or valuables to South Africa, while other accounts were reportedly used to facilitate the transfer of funds from email fraud schemes.

Extradition confirmed after several years of proceedings

The Western Cape High Court rejected the appeal of six of the men on April 7, 2026, who contested their extradition to the United States. In its ruling, the court found that the actions described by U.S. authorities could also constitute offenses under South African law, including fraud, cybercrime, and money laundering, thereby validating the extradition process initiated in the Cape court.

The arrests were carried out in October 2021 in Cape Town during a joint operation involving the Hawks, the FBI, and the U.S. Secret Service. At that time, the U.S. Department of Justice indicated that the alleged offenses spanned primarily from 2011 to 2021 and involved romance scams, advance-fee fraud, and money laundering operations.

The six nationals extradited on Friday are now set to be transferred to the United States to face federal charges against them, including conspiracy to commit electronic fraud and money laundering.