Six Nigerians accused of romance scams to be extradited to the U.S.

South African police on Friday handed over six Nigerian nationals to United States authorities to face charges linked to an online romance fraud network that allegedly defrauded more than 100 American women of over $6 million, authorities said.

The six men, arrested in Cape Town in 2021, are believed to be members of Black Axe, a Nigerian mafia-style criminal organization tied to internet fraud, human trafficking, and murder. They were transported from a correctional facility in Cape Town to the city’s international airport, where they were transferred to officials from the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the United States Secret Service .

“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,” South Africa’s elite Hawks police unit said in a statement .

A Decade-Long Scheme

According to US prosecutors, the group operated from Cape Town between 2011 and 2021, targeting victims across the United States through sophisticated online relationships. Among those defrauded were pensioners and businesspeople .

The FBI, in a questionnaire circulated to victims in New Jersey, described a common narrative used by the alleged conspirators: a purported online love interest would claim to be traveling to Cape Town for a construction project. The victim would then be told the person had been mugged and needed phones, tablets, or laptops sent to South Africa. In other cases, victims were asked for loans to repair a faulty crane at a construction site, pay legal fees following an accident, or cover foreign taxes to release a larger sum of money supposedly owed to them .

Prosecutors said the group used social media websites, online dating platforms, and internet-based phone calls to find and communicate with victims, often employing multiple aliases to bolster the legitimacy of their stories—including personas of a purported child, business partner, or friend .

The defendants also allegedly used victims’ bank accounts and recruited individuals with US-based financial accounts to transfer money to South Africa. On some occasions, they convinced victims to open financial accounts in the United States that the conspirators were then permitted to use themselves .

Legal Battle Preceded Extradition

The extradition followed years of legal proceedings in South Africa. The suspects’ extradition inquiry began before the Cape Town Magistrate’s Court, which issued key rulings in July 2023 and January 2024. On February 19, 2024, the court ruled that the men could be extradited and ordered that they remain in custody while the Justice Minister considered their surrender .

The suspects challenged the ruling, arguing that the offences contained in the US indictment did not correspond precisely with offences recognised under South African law and should therefore prevent their extradition. However, the Western Cape High Court rejected that argument in April 2026, finding that the evidence pointed to a large-scale international fraud operation .

They are wanted in Texas and New Jersey on charges including conspiracy to commit wire and mail fraud, money laundering, and aggravated identity theft .

Black Axe: From Student Fraternity to Global Crime Network

Black Axe, also known as the Neo Black Movement of Africa, began in 1977 as a student association at a university campus in Nigeria’s Edo State before gradually transitioning into organized crime. It now operates across Africa, Europe, and North America .

The organization is known for its extreme violence and has been described by a BBC Eye investigation as one of the most far-reaching and dangerous organized crime groups in the world. Nigeria remains its primary recruitment ground, with many members university-educated and inducted during their schooling years .

According to a 2024 report by the Africa Center, Black Axe’s foreign cells operate with significant autonomy and often do not send money back to the national body in Nigeria. The group exploits vulnerable members of the Nigerian diaspora, sometimes coercing migrants into acting as “money mules” to funnel illicit funds. It has also been involved in the sex trafficking of Nigerian women in Italy and France .

The organization has embedded itself within Nigerian political structures. Evidence leaked by a hacker indicated that Bemigho Eyeoyibo served as both president of the Neo Black Movement and head of Black Axe from 2012 to 2016; he was nevertheless permitted to run for political office in 2019. Another well-known member, Tony Nwoye, reportedly diverted state funds for Black Axe but remained chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party in Anambra State .

A culture of impunity persists around prosecuting the group in Nigeria, given that many senior officials, jurists, and law enforcement officers are confraternity members, according to the Africa Center report .

International Crackdown Intensifies

The extradition comes amid a broader international crackdown on West African cyber-crime networks. In August 2026, Interpol announced the results of Operation Jackal IV, an eight-month initiative spanning 22 countries and six continents that led to 58 arrests and the identification of 263 additional suspects .

In South Africa, authorities raided seven locations in Johannesburg linked to romance and investment fraud syndicates, resulting in 39 arrests, the seizure of $2.67 million, and the blocking of 257 bank accounts .

Tomonobu Kaya, director of Interpol’s financial crime centre, said the operation demonstrated the power of international cooperation. “By following illicit financial flows across borders, we are attacking the very lifeblood of organised crime and making it increasingly difficult for criminal networks to profit from their activities,” he said .

The operation also revealed emerging trends, including the use of sextortion targeting minors as young as 14, with offenders contacting victims through social media, building trust, and coercing them into sharing explicit images before demanding ransom .

Black Axe has been a priority target for US law enforcement for years. FBI operations against the group were launched in November 2019 and September 2021, eventually charging more than 35 individuals with multi-million-dollar internet fraud . In 2024, Enorense Izevbigie, described by US authorities as an alleged leader of the Cape Town cell, was extradited to the United States on similar charges of wire fraud and money laundering covering the period 2011 to 2021 .

US and South African authorities have not named the six individuals being extradited. The BBC has contacted Interpol, the FBI, the Secret Service, and the US Justice Department for comment .