Cape Town, South Africa — Six Nigerian nationals arrested in Cape Town in 2021 have been extradited from South Africa to the United States, where they are expected to face federal charges linked to an alleged international online romance-scam operation.
The men were handed over to United States authorities at Cape Town International Airport on Friday, 11 September 2026, following years of extradition proceedings in South Africa.
According to South African police, the six men are accused of being linked to the Black Axe organised criminal network and allegedly targeting more than 100 women in the United States through sophisticated online romance scams.
Authorities allege that the victims were defrauded of more than R100 million, or more than US$6 million, through schemes in which criminals allegedly established romantic relationships with victims online before manipulating them into sending money and other valuables.
Among the alleged victims were pensioners and businesspeople.
The extradition was facilitated by the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation, commonly known as the Hawks, in cooperation with INTERPOL South Africa. Officials from the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the United States Secret Service travelled to South Africa to receive the suspects.
Arrested in Cape Town in 2021
The case dates back to a major law-enforcement operation in 2021, when the suspects were arrested in South Africa following an investigation into an alleged internet-fraud network operating from Cape Town.
United States prosecutors have alleged that members of the Cape Town network were involved in romance scams, advance-fee schemes and business-email compromises.
According to the U.S. Department of Justice, the alleged criminal activity stretched from at least 2011 to 2021, with proceeds from the fraud allegedly being laundered to the Cape Town area for the benefit of the accused and their alleged co-conspirators.
The U.S. case identifies several alleged members of what prosecutors described as the Cape Town Zone of the Neo Black Movement of Africa, commonly known as Black Axe.
The charges include conspiracy to commit wire fraud and money laundering conspiracy. Some of the accused also face individual wire-fraud and aggravated-identity-theft charges in the United States.
How the alleged romance scams worked
US authorities allege that the suspects used fake identities and online relationships to gain the trust of victims before convincing them to provide money or valuable goods.
One of the alleged methods involved fraudsters presenting themselves as romantic partners who were supposedly travelling to Cape Town for work, including construction projects.
According to the U.S. Department of Justice, victims could allegedly be told that their supposed romantic partner had been robbed after arriving in South Africa and needed phones, tablets or laptop computers.
Other alleged stories involved supposed construction accidents, faulty equipment, legal expenses or tax payments, with victims allegedly being persuaded to send money to resolve the fabricated emergencies.
The alleged schemes were not limited to romance fraud. US prosecutors also linked the network to advance-fee schemes and business-email compromises.
Victims allegedly lost millions
South African police said the alleged network targeted more than 100 women in the United States and defrauded them of more than R100 million.
Police said some of those targeted were pensioners and businesspeople who were allegedly manipulated through sophisticated online relationships.
The case highlights the international nature of modern online fraud, where criminals can operate in one country while their victims are located thousands of kilometres away.
The U.S. Department of Justice has previously warned that internet-based criminal networks can use online platforms to deceive victims and move the proceeds of fraud across international borders.
Five-year extradition process
Although the suspects were arrested in South Africa in 2021, their transfer to the United States did not happen immediately.
The extradition proceedings continued through the South African courts for several years.
The Cape Town Magistrate's Court dealt with the extradition proceedings before ruling in February 2024 that there was sufficient basis for the suspects to be extradited to the United States.
The suspects challenged the decision, arguing, among other things, that the offences contained in the US indictment did not correspond sufficiently with offences recognised under South African law.
Their legal challenge ultimately failed.
The Western Cape High Court dismissed their appeal in April 2026, clearing the way for the extradition to proceed.
One alleged Black Axe leader was extradited earlier
The latest extradition is not the first involving the Cape Town investigation.
Enorense Izevbigie, also known as “Richy Izevbigie” and “Lord Samuel S Nujoma”, was extradited separately from South Africa to the United States in December 2024.
US prosecutors had identified him as an alleged leader within the Cape Town Zone of Black Axe.
He subsequently appeared before a federal court in New Jersey, where he faced charges connected to the alleged fraud and money-laundering operation.
US authorities take over the case
Following the extradition on Friday, the six men were placed in the custody of US authorities and transported to the United States.
They are wanted in connection with federal allegations including wire fraud and money laundering, with the broader case involving jurisdictions including Texas and New Jersey.
South African police spokesperson Colonel Katlego Mogale said the extradition demonstrated continued cooperation between South African law-enforcement agencies and international partners in tackling transnational organised crime.
The case is also part of a wider international effort to disrupt West African organised-crime networks involved in cyber-enabled financial fraud.
INTERPOL recently reported a major operation targeting organised crime groups in West Africa that resulted in dozens of arrests and the identification of hundreds of suspects connected to various criminal networks.
Wider crackdown on online fraud
The extradition comes amid growing international concern over romance scams, investment scams and other forms of cyber-enabled financial crime.
In a separate South African operation, authorities recently raided seven locations in Johannesburg linked to a syndicate allegedly involved in romance and investment scams targeting victims in English-speaking countries.
Police arrested 39 people during that operation, while more than US$2.67 million was seized and more than 250 bank accounts were frozen, according to INTERPOL-related reporting.
The latest extradition therefore represents more than the conclusion of a single South African court process. It is part of a broader international effort to track alleged fraud networks across borders, identify their financial infrastructure and bring suspects before the courts in the jurisdictions where the alleged crimes were committed.
Presumption of innocence
The six men are accused of serious federal offences in the United States, but the allegations have not yet been proven in court.
They remain entitled to the presumption of innocence and to due process as the US criminal proceedings continue.
The extradition now brings the long-running South African phase of the case to an end, with the next stage of the proceedings set to take place in the United States.
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