South African authorities are extraditing six Nigerian nationals to the United States on Friday after their arrest in 2021 on allegations of involvement in an online romance scam. The group is accused of targeting more than 100 women in the U.S., including pensioners and businesspeople, through sophisticated online relationships, according to the South African police’s elite Hawks unit, as reported by BBC.

Criminal Network Ties to Black Axe

The accused are believed to be members of Black Axe, a Nigerian mafia-style criminal network known for involvement in internet fraud, human trafficking, and murder. Black Axe is also described by Interpol as being among the groups responsible for a significant share of the world’s cyber-enabled financial fraud, including romance, cryptocurrency, and investment scams, according to India Today.

Nigeria is the main recruitment ground for Black Axe, and many of its members are university-educated individuals inducted during their schooling, according to a BBC Eye investigation in 2021. The syndicate operates across Africa, Europe, and North America and is known for extreme violence.

Coordinated International Efforts

South African police said the six men will be transported from a correctional facility in Cape Town to Cape Town International Airport, where they will be handed over to officials from the FBI and the United States Secret Service. Hawks spokesperson Colonel Katlego Mogale confirmed the details in a statement, as reported by both BBC and India Today.

The FBI has been targeting Black Axe since at least November 2019, and another operation in September 2021 led to the charging of over 35 individuals with multi-million-dollar internet fraud, according to BBC. The six Nigerians will face wire fraud and money laundering charges upon arrival in the U.S.

Broader Security operation on Cyber Fraud

The extradition is part of a broader international effort to combat cyber-enabled financial fraud. Last month, Interpol reported that a recent operation against West African organized crime groups led to the arrest of 58 people and the identification of 263 suspects linked to similar criminal networks, as reported by India Today.

South African police emphasized the sophistication of the scam, which used digital relationships to defraud victims of their money — the victims included vulnerable groups such as the elderly and business professionals. The arrests and extraditions highlight the growing cooperation between international law enforcement agencies to address cross-border cybercrime.