South Africa will extradite six Nigerian nationals to the United States on Friday over allegations that they swindled victims out of more than $6.2 million (R112 million) in a sophisticated online romance scam, police said.
The men are alleged to be members of an organised criminal network called Black Axe and are wanted by US authorities on charges including wire fraud and money laundering, the Hawks said in a statement.
They were arrested in South Africa in 2021 following a major crackdown after allegedly targeting more than 100 women in the United States, “defrauding them of more than R100 million through online romance or love scams,” the Hawks said.
“Among the alleged victims were pensioners and businesspeople who were reportedly targeted through sophisticated online relationships used to defraud them of their money,” Hawks spokesperson Colonel Katlego Mogale said.
Mogale said the suspects would be handed over to officials from the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the United States Secret Service at Cape Town International Airport on Friday. The handover is being coordinated by Interpol South Africa.
Legal process
The extradition follows a protracted legal process. In February 2024, the Cape Town Magistrate’s Court ruled there was sufficient evidence to warrant the men’s prosecution in the US. Their appeal was dismissed by the Western Cape High Court in April 2026, clearing the way for Friday’s transfer.
One of the accused, Enorense Izevbigie, described by US prosecutors as a leader of the Black Axe chapter in Cape Town, was extradited separately in December 2024 and appeared in a federal court in New Jersey.
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Growing threat
Online romance scams have become a growing form of transnational cybercrime, with fraudsters using fake identities on dating websites and social media to gain victims’ trust before tricking them into sending money.
In 2022, Nigerian Instagram influencer Ramon Abbas – known online as “Hushpuppi” – was sentenced to more than 11 years in US federal prison for his role in an international fraud and money laundering syndicate.
Mogale said the extradition demonstrates the continued cooperation between South African law enforcement agencies and international partners in disrupting transnational organised crime.
