US Reveals 41 Extraditions From Nigeria Since 2022 In Cybercrime Crackdown

Nigeria has extradited 41 suspects to the United States since 2022, with 5 of the extraditions accomplished this yr, as each nations strengthen cooperation towards cybercrime.

The determine was disclosed by US Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs, Michael Gonzales, throughout a go to to Abuja on Monday.

According to a press release issued by the US Embassy in Nigeria, the FBI Legal Attaché Office on the US Embassy in Abuja has labored with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on the 41 extraditions since 2022.

The embassy mentioned this marked a rise from the interval between 2012 and 2021, when Nigeria and the US recorded 4 arrests and 5 extraditions.

Gonzales met with officers of the EFCC, the Office of the National Security Adviser, the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency and the Nigeria Police Force as a part of actions marking Nigeria’s Cybercrime Awareness Week.

The discussions centered on strengthening joint efforts towards financially motivated sextortion, romance scams and different types of transnational cybercrime.

Commenting on the extraditions, Gonzales mentioned cooperation between each nations had proven that worldwide borders may now not present safety for suspected criminals.

“Recent extraditions demonstrate that when the United States and Nigeria combine investigative, diplomatic, and law-enforcement capabilities, international borders do not provide sanctuary to those who prey on our citizens,” he mentioned.

In August, Nigeria extradited two alleged cybercriminals to the US to face separate expenses referring to the sextortion of American minors who later died by suicide.

The US Department of Justice mentioned the circumstances concerned teenage victims who died following alleged on-line exploitation and extortion.

The two suspects, Adebola Festus Adekunle and Mudasiru Afeez Olawale, have been arrested in Nigeria in August 2023 and extradited to the US on August 27, 2026, following cooperation involving the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), EFCC and different Nigerian authorities. They have been charged and are presumed harmless till confirmed responsible in court docket.

Gonzales recommended the EFCC, the Federal Ministry of Justice and the Office of the Attorney-General of the Federation for his or her help within the investigations and extradition proceedings.

He described the EFCC’s partnership with the FBI for instance of efficient worldwide regulation enforcement cooperation, involving info sharing, suspect identification, arrests and extradition proceedings.

However, he referred to as for quicker and extra proactive cooperation, saying each nations would profit from making their collaboration “faster, more routine, and increasingly proactive”.

He mentioned the main target ought to lengthen past particular person circumstances to legal networks, monetary infrastructure and those that facilitate cybercrime earlier than extra victims are harmed.

The US delegation additionally highlighted the dimensions of financially motivated sextortion, with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children receiving greater than 50,000 reviews in 2025, a mean of about 137 reviews day by day.

According to the embassy, the FBI identifies Nigeria and different elements of West Africa, alongside Southeast Asia, as areas the place a number of the most prevalent sextortion networks have operated.

The assertion mentioned the FBI works with Nigerian authorities by means of Operation Artemis and associated efforts to determine and disrupt networks focusing on Americans.

Nigeria has additionally taken steps to boost consciousness about on-line crimes. The Nigeria Police Force National Cybercrime Centre launched a nationwide on-line security and cyber-hygiene marketing campaign in March to teach the general public on romance scams, sextortion, phishing, identification theft and enterprise e-mail compromise.

The US mentioned it might proceed working with Nigeria to strengthen info sharing, velocity up the conversion of cyber and monetary intelligence into investigations, increase public consciousness and enhance the nation’s investigative, prosecutorial and cybercrime-reporting capabilities.

Gonzales mentioned the success of the partnership could be measured by its outcomes, together with victims protected, legal networks disrupted, investigations superior and profitable convictions.

He added that the intention was to strengthen Nigerian establishments so they may maintain the efforts for the good thing about each nations.