South Africa is extraditing six Nigerian nationals to the United States over their alleged involvement in the Black Axe organised crime network and a multimillion-dollar romance fraud scheme targeting more than 100 victims.
The suspects are wanted by US authorities on charges including wire fraud and money laundering, South Africa’s Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation, known as the Hawks, said on Friday.
Authorities allege the group defrauded victims in the United States of more than 100 million rand, or about $6.2 million, through online romance scams. The victims included pensioners and businesspeople, according to the Hawks.
The six men were arrested in South Africa in 2021 and have since faced extradition proceedings.
They were due to be handed over to officials from the FBI and US Secret Service at Cape Town International Airport on Friday afternoon before being transferred to the United States.
Black Axe traces its origins to the Neo Black Movement of Africa, a student fraternity founded in Nigeria in the late 1970s. Authorities say the network later developed into a highly organised transnational criminal group linked to cyberfraud, money laundering and violence.
The extraditions come amid a wider international crackdown on suspected Black Axe members. Authorities in Switzerland and Spain have also arrested alleged members of the network this year.
US investigators have increasingly targeted organised cybercrime networks accused of using fake online identities and romantic relationships to persuade victims to transfer money, often over prolonged periods.
