Key facts
- South Africa will extradite six Nigerian nationals to the U.S. on Friday.
- The men are suspected members of the Black Axe organized crime network.
- They are wanted on charges including wire fraud and money laundering.
- The suspects allegedly defrauded over 100 women of more than 100 million rand ($6.2 million) through online romance scams.
- The victims included pensioners and businesspeople.
- Black Axe evolved from a student fraternity into a violent criminal organization involved in financial cybercrime.
South Africa is extraditing six Nigerian nationals to the United States, who are suspected members of the Black Axe organized crime network. Police confirmed on Friday that the men would be handed over to U.S. officials at Cape Town International Airport.
U.S. authorities are seeking the individuals on charges including wire fraud and money laundering. According to South Africa's elite Hawks police unit, the suspects allegedly targeted more than 100 women in the U.S., defrauding them of over 100 million rand (approximately $6.2 million) through online romance scams. The victims reportedly included pensioners and businesspeople.
Black Axe originated as a student fraternity in the late 1970s and has since developed into a structured criminal organization often engaged in financial cybercrime. The six men were arrested in South Africa in 2021. This extradition follows earlier arrests of suspected Black Axe members in Switzerland and Spain this year.