South African authorities are set to extradite six Nigerians wanted in the United States over alleged online romance scams.
The suspects, who were arrested in South Africa in 2021, are accused of defrauding more than 100 women in the US of over 100 million rand, or about $6 million.
South Africa’s elite Hawks police unit said the suspects are believed to be members of Black Axe. This is a Nigerian criminal network linked by law enforcement agencies to internet fraud, human trafficking and murder.
The alleged victims included pensioners and businesspeople. Authorities said the suspects used sophisticated online relationships to gain the victims’ trust before defrauding them of their money.
Hawks spokesperson Colonel Katlego Mogale said the suspects would be transported from a correctional facility in Cape Town to the airport on Friday morning. They are expected to be handed over to officials from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the United States Secret Service before being taken to the US.
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Black Axe is a shadowy criminal network that operates across Africa, Europe and North America. The group has faced years of scrutiny from international law enforcement agencies over allegations of organised crime.
Nigeria has been identified as its main recruitment ground, with many members reportedly being recruited while at university. The FBI began major operations targeting Black Axe in 2019 and 2021. Those investigations eventually resulted in charges against more than 35 people over multi-million-dollar internet fraud schemes.
International efforts against the network have continued, including operations coordinated through Interpol.
