The Nigeria Police Force has extradited a suspected cyber fraudster, Samuel Ugberease, to the United States over alleged involvement in online romance scams and wire fraud schemes that targeted victims through digital platforms.

The extradition was executed by the INTERPOL National Central Bureau (NCB) Abuja following the completion of legal and diplomatic procedures between Nigerian and U.S. authorities, in what officials describe as part of intensifying international cooperation against transnational cybercrime networks.

Police investigations allege that between 2014 and 2018, Ugberease and members of his syndicate operated sophisticated online fraud schemes targeting female victims in the United States, particularly within the Eastern District of North Carolina.

Investigators say the syndicate used fake online identities and fabricated dating profiles to build fraudulent emotional relationships with victims before manipulating them into transferring large sums of money under false pretences and staged emergencies. According to investigators, one victim allegedly lost more than $1.5 million to the operation.

Investigators say the syndicate used fake online identities and fabricated dating profiles to build fraudulent emotional relationships with victims before manipulating them into transferring large sums of money under false pretences and staged emergencies.

According to investigators, one victim allegedly lost more than $1.5 million to the operation.

INTERPOL Red Notice triggers Lagos airport arrest, Police says

Authorities arrested Ugberease on December 14, 2025, at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport shortly after he arrived on a flight from South Africa.

The arrest followed the issuance of an INTERPOL Red Notice, an international alert mechanism used to locate and provisionally detain wanted persons pending extradition proceedings.

The Nigeria Police say investigations revealed that the syndicate operated a layered financial structure designed to conceal the movement and origin of illicit funds.

“Further investigations established that proceeds of the fraud were laundered through multiple bank accounts used to receive, process, and conceal illicit funds,” the NPF says.

The case also exposed what investigators describe as a sophisticated international money laundering infrastructure linked to online romance fraud operations.

According to the United States Department of Justice, members of the network allegedly operated domestic financial nodes that controlled so-called “drop accounts” opened under fraudulent Georgia-based export companies.

Investigators say the accounts were used to obscure financial trails and rapidly transfer money through multiple banking channels before fraud detection systems could freeze the assets.

The structure allegedly enabled the syndicate to move funds from victims in the United States through commercial banking networks and eventually outside U.S. financial jurisdiction.

Romance scams: Nigeria intensifies global cybercrime crackdown

The case adds to a growing list of international cybercrime investigations involving Nigerian suspects and highlights expanding cooperation between Nigerian and foreign law enforcement agencies in tackling online fraud, financial crimes, and digital criminal networks.

In recent years, U.S. authorities have intensified investigations into romance scams, business email compromise schemes, wire fraud, and crypto-enabled financial crimes linked to transnational cybercrime groups.

The Nigeria Police Force says it is increasingly relying on INTERPOL intelligence systems, extradition agreements, and international policing partnerships to combat cybercrime and organised financial fraud.

Nigeria has also stepped up broader anti-cybercrime enforcement efforts.

Earlier in May 2026, Nigerian authorities extradited another foreign suspect wanted in connection with an alleged $245 million fraud investigation.

The Nigeria Police recently announced the repatriation of $23,000 recovered from an international romance scam operation involving a victim in the Cayman Islands, describing the recovery as part of its intelligence-led strategy against transnational cybercrime.

Meanwhile, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission deported 192 foreign nationals convicted of cyber-terrorism and internet fraud following major enforcement operations in Lagos linked to romance scams and cryptocurrency investment fraud schemes.

In March 2026, the EFCC also warned that illicit global cryptocurrency transactions exceeded $160 billion in 2025, underscoring growing international concern over digital financial crimes and crypto-enabled fraud networks.