Manny Ita –
A Nigerian national, Afeez Adewale, has appeared before a United States federal court in Philadelphia following his extradition from Nigeria over allegations of involvement in a wire fraud and money laundering conspiracy connected to the death of a young American.
Mr Adewale was handed over to U.S. authorities last Friday by Federal Bureau of Investigation operatives in Nigeria, who had held him in custody since his arrest in August 2023. According to a statement from the U.S. Department of Justice, he faces charges related to sexual extortion targeting minors in the United States.
“Adewale is charged by indictment with wire fraud and money laundering conspiracy,” the department said, adding that the case forms part of a broader crackdown on online sexual extortion networks preying on young victims.
Authorities disclosed that two alleged accomplices linked to the same operation had earlier been extradited from Nigeria and sentenced in 2024. The suspects, identified as Imoleayo Aina, also known as “Alice Dave,” and Samuel Abiodun, were transferred to U.S. custody in August 2024 after facing multiple criminal counts.
Mr Abiodun pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud and money laundering and received a five-year prison sentence. Mr Aina pleaded guilty to cyberstalking, interstate threats to injure reputation, receiving proceeds of extortion, money laundering conspiracy, and wire fraud, and was sentenced to six years in prison.
The Justice Department said Mr Adewale’s extradition was made possible through the “support and assistance of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), months after his arrest,” describing the cooperation as critical to dismantling transnational cybercrime groups. It also acknowledged the role of Nigeria’s Attorney General of the Federation, the Federal Ministry of Justice, and its International Criminal Justice Cooperation Department in facilitating the transfer.
The case marks another instance of Nigerians being extradited to the United States over cyber-enabled crimes. Nigeria’s extradition treaty with the U.S. dates back to 1931, when it was signed under colonial administration.
In 2023, Samuel Ogoshi and Samson Ogoshi were extradited to the United States after being indicted for sexually extorting teenage boys in Michigan. Earlier, in 2019, Adedeji Adeniran, then aged 56, was extradited to face prosecution in the Northern District of Florida.
One of the most prominent recent extraditions involved Fatade Olamilekan, who was transferred to the United States in July 2022 to answer charges related to a $3.5 million fraud scheme. He had been on the FBI’s wanted list for allegedly stealing equipment worth more than $3.5 million, with his extradition coordinated by the EFCC.
