Story perspectives

South Africa to extradite six Nigerians over $6M romance scam

By Drooid · Sep 11, 2026, 2:59 PM UTC · How we work

Summary

South Africa Extradites

South Africa will extradite six Nigerian nationals to the United States on Friday.
They face U.S. wire fraud and money-laundering charges.
They allegedly defrauded over $6 million from more than 100 U.S. women through romance scams.
The suspects are linked to the Black Axe network, which Interpol says drives significant cyber-enabled fraud.
FBI and Secret Service will receive them at Cape Town Airport, said Katlego Mogale.

Summary

Hawks Oversee Extradition

The Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation, known as the Hawks, is managing the extradition.
US FBI and Secret Service officials arrived in South Africa on Thursday morning ahead of the handover.
Interpol South Africa coordinated the transfer from the Cape Town correctional facility to the airport.
The six suspects have remained detained at the Cape Town correctional centre since their 2021 capture.

History

Historical Context

Signed on 23 November 2001 in Budapest, the Convention on Cybercrime—drafted by the Council of Europe with the United States, South Africa and other observers—became the first binding treaty to harmonize cyber-crime laws and enable extradition. By August 2025, 81 states had ratified it, providing the legal basis for South Africa’s Hawks and Interpol to transfer six Black Axe suspects to U.S. authorities.

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South Africa Extradites

South Africa will extradite six Nigerian nationals to the United States on Friday.
They face U.S. wire fraud and money-laundering charges.
They allegedly defrauded over $6 million from more than 100 U.S. women through romance scams.
The suspects are linked to the Black Axe network, which Interpol says drives significant cyber-enabled fraud.
FBI and Secret Service will receive them at Cape Town Airport, said Katlego Mogale.

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