By Opeyemi Adelakun
Six Nigerians suspected of being members of the Black Axe organised crime network have been extradited from South Africa to the United States to face allegations of wire fraud and money laundering.
The South African Police Service said it handed the suspects over to the FBI and the United States Secret Service after moving them from a correctional facility in Cape Town to Cape Town International Airport.
The suspects were arrested in 2021 during what the police described as a major takedown operation by the Hawks, an elite unit of the South African police.
Authorities allege that the men were involved in an online romance scam that preyed on more than 100 American women.
The police said the alleged scheme caused financial losses of more than $6.2 million, with businesspeople and pensioners among the victims.
According to the authorities, the suspects allegedly established sophisticated online relationships with their targets before using the relationships to defraud them.
“The six men are alleged to be members of the Black Axe organised criminal network and are #WANTED by the US authorities in connection with charges of wire fraud and money laundering,” the South African Police Service said.
The authorities did not release the names of the six Nigerians or provide further personal information about them.
INTERPOL South Africa coordinated the extradition, while FBI and US Secret Service officials arrived in South Africa to take custody of the suspects.
The police said the operation reflected growing cooperation between South Africa and international law enforcement agencies in tackling organised crime that operates across borders.
“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,” the police stated.
Black Axe, which has its roots in Nigeria, has been described by law enforcement agencies as a transnational criminal network associated with internet fraud, human trafficking and murder.
The latest extradition follows a wider international crackdown on West African organised crime groups.
An eight-month operation involving 22 countries, including Nigeria and South Africa, reportedly led to the arrest of 58 suspects and the identification of 263 others allegedly connected to Black Axe and other West African organised crime networks.
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