WESTERN CAPE. – Six Nigerians arrested in South Africa on suspicion of involvement in online romance fraud have been extradited to the United States of America.
Col. Katlego Mogale, Hawks spokesperson, says the Hawks handed over the six men to American authorities on 11 September in cooperation with Interpol South Africa. They are wanted in the USA on charges of electronic fraud and money laundering.
Perry Osagiede, Collins Owhofasa Otughwor, Osariemen Eric Clement, Musa Mudashiru, Franklyn Edosa Osagiede and Prince Ibeabuchi Mark are accused of being members of the Black Axe organised crime network. According to the Hawks, the men are accused of targeting more than 100 women in the USA through online romance fraud and allegedly defrauding them of more than R100 million. Among the alleged victims were pensioners and business people.
The six were part of eight Nigerian nationals arrested in 2021 following a major operation by the Hawks in South Africa. The Cape Town Metropolitan Magistrate's Court decided in February 2024 that they could be extradited to the USA. Interpol South Africa escorted the six from a correctional facility in Cape Town to Cape Town International Airport, where they were handed over to officials from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the United States Secret Service.
They then departed on a flight of approximately 16 hours to the USA. The Hawks say the extradition underscores cooperation between South African and international law enforcement agencies in combating organised crime across borders.
This article is an automatic English translation of a Nuusflits article originally published in Afrikaans. Read the Afrikaans original.
