By Samuel Akpan
Six Nigerian nationals accused of fleecing more than 100 American women of over R100 million through online romance scams were extradited from South Africa to the United States on Friday.
The South African Police Service announced the move on X, tying the suspects to the Black Axe network.
“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.
US authorities want the six men on allegations of wire fraud and money laundering.
Police said they used fake online romances to target victims and drain their savings.
The suspects were arrested in South Africa in 2021 and had remained in custody while extradition processes ran their course.
Hawks spokesperson Colonel Katlego Mogale said INTERPOL South Africa coordinated the transfer from a Cape Town correctional facility to Cape Town International Airport.
“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 and the United States Secret Service,” Mogale told Eye Witness News.
FBI and US Secret Service officers received the men at the airport on Friday as the handover was completed.
Mogale said the operation showed how South African and foreign agencies now work together against cross-border 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,” he stated.
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