Nigerian suspected fugitive, Ehis Akhimie, has been extradited from the United Kingdom to the United States to face charges related to organised crime, including an international fraud scheme targeting elderly consumers in the U.S.

The US Department of Justice confirmed his extradition in an email sent to our correspondent on Friday.

The report stated that the suspect’s extradition resulted from extensive coordination and cooperation between the DOJ and law enforcement agencies across multiple countries.

According to the report, the coordinated efforts involved law enforcement agencies from Colombia, the Dominican Republic, France, Guatemala, Honduras, Israel, the Kyrgyz Republic, Mexico, Spain, and the UK.

As a result of this collaboration, the Nigerian fraudster was extradited from the UK alongside several other suspects, including individuals accused of murder, child rape, leading the MS-13 gang, alien smuggling, Colombian drug trafficking, Russian cybercrime, and immigration fraud.

“The dedicated, persistent work of the Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs with foreign partners resulted in the extradition of fugitives wanted in the United States for violent crimes,” said Head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division Matthew R. Galeotti.

“The Justice Department will aggressively pursue and bring to justice to the United States transnational criminals and hold them accountable for the death and violence they have committed here and abroad,” Galeotti.

The suspected 41-year-old Nigerian fraudster was extradited from the UK to the Southern District of Florida, where he faced charges for allegedly participating in a transnational criminal organisation that ran an inheritance fraud scheme targeting elderly consumers in the U.S.

The report partly read, “The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs provided significant assistance in securing the defendants’ arrests and extraditions along with the U.S. Marshals Service.

“The Justice Department thanks and acknowledges the instrumental role of its law enforcement partners in Colombia, the Dominican Republic, France, Guatemala, Honduras, Israel, the Kyrgyz Republic, Mexico, Spain and the United Kingdom for making these extraditions possible.”

TheNigerian Metro reports that two brothers from Nigeria, Samuel and Samson Ogoshi, who targeted a 17-year-old in a sextortion scam, were sentenced to 17 years and six months in jail in the US last September.

The convicted brothers, from Lagos, allegedly lured Jordan DeMay into sending them explicit images by pretending to be a girl his age – then blackmailed him.

The victim reportedly killed himself less than six hours after they started talking on Instagram.

A former National Security Adviser, Col. Sambo Dasuki (retd.), and three others were re-arraigned on Tuesday before a Federal Capital Territory High Court in Abuja over an alleged N33.2 billion fraud.

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission brought the charges against Dasuki alongside a former General Manager of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, Aminu Baba-Kusa, as well as two companies—Acacia Holdings Limited and Reliance Referral Hospital Limited.

The defendants are facing a 32-count charge bordering on alleged criminal breach of trust and dishonest release of public funds.

Their re-arraignment before Justice Charles Agbaza follows the reassignment of the case by the FCT Chief Judge, Justice Hussein Baba-Yusuf, who was previously handling the matter.

Dasuki was first arraigned on December 14, 2015, before Justice Baba-Yusuf, alongside a former Director of Finance and Administration in the Office of the National Security Adviser, Shuaibu Salisu, on a 19-count charge linked to an alleged N15.5 billion fraud.

The charges were later amended, and Salisu’s name was removed. Subsequently, Dasuki and the others were re-arraigned on May 11, 2018, on a fresh 32-count charge involving N33.2 billion.

However, the trial was stalled after the prosecution presented only one witness—the investigating officer—who was yet to conclude his testimony before the case was indefinitely adjourned.

The EFCC had also filed another case against Dasuki in 2015, in which he was charged alongside a former Minister of State for Finance, Bashir Yuguda; a former Sokoto State governor, Attahiru Bafarawa; his son, Sagir Bafarawa; and his company, Dalhatu Investment Limited. They faced a 25-count charge bordering on criminal breach of trust and misappropriation of N19.4 billion.

The case was recently transferred to Justice Yusuf Halilu.

Both trials suffered multiple delays due to the refusal of the Department of State Services to release Dasuki on bail, despite court orders granting him bail.

At the resumed hearing on Tuesday, the defendants pleaded not guilty to the 32 counts read to them.

The prosecution counsel, Oluwaleke Atolagbe, then requested a trial date.

Lawyers to Dasuki and Baba-Kusa, A.A. Usman and Richard Ibiye, urged the court to allow the defendants to continue enjoying their existing bail, assuring that they had always been present for court proceedings.

The prosecution did not oppose the request but stressed the importance of the defendants’ continued presence throughout the trial.

After considering submissions from both sides, Justice Agbaza ruled that the defendants should remain on their existing bail and adjourned the trial to July 1.

Two Nigerians based in the United States of America, Solomon Aluko and Nosakhare Nobore, alongside four others, are at risk of 62 years’ imprisonment each following their arraignment before a New York court on allegations of defrauding the US government to the tune of $50m.

TheNigerian Metro gathered from a court document obtained on the US Department of Justice website on Sunday that the suspects were arraigned on four counts bordering on conspiracy to commit wire fraud and bank fraud, conspiracy to commit money laundering, engaging in a monetary transaction in property derived from specified unlawful activity, conspiracy to defraud the government, and aggravated identity theft.

The court document indicated that the suspects committed the offences between March 2020 and March 2025, in the Southern District of New York and across other places in the US.

The charge sheet noted that “the defendants, and others, worked together to steal money that did not belong to them by passing counterfeit, stolen, and fraudulently obtained cheques. They submitted the cheques to banks and then withdrew or transferred funds before the banks could determine that the cheques were counterfeit, stolen, or fraudulent.”

According to the document, the defendants allegedly stole information and identities of different individuals and businesses and used the information and identities to open bank accounts through one of their members, who was a bank teller at the time.

The bank accounts were allegedly used to deposit fraudulently obtained cheques from different US agencies.

It continued, “Once the cheques were deposited, the defendants withdrew the fraudulently obtained funds in cash or transferred them to other bank accounts under their control.

“Throughout their scheme, the defendants attempted to obtain approximately $80 million in total. They succeeded in depositing approximately $50 million.”

In a statement accompanying the document on the DoJ website, it was revealed that the suspects created a ‘fraud bible’, which contained specific instructions on how each member of the syndicate would operate.

It further noted that the syndicate also openly communicated its operations via a Telegram group where discussions on their operations were held.

Commenting on the activities of the syndicate, the statement quoted the US FBI Acting Assistant Director, Leslie R. Backschies, as saying, “These six defendants allegedly used sham businesses, stolen, and fake identities to operate a multi-year cheque fraud scheme, resulting in $50 million in illicit funds being deposited into their accounts.

“The defendants brazenly attempted to exploit multiple United States government programmes in their attempts to illegally enrich themselves. The FBI will continue to ensure fraudsters attempting to lie, cheat, and steal from the government answer for their crimes in the criminal justice system.”

Similarly, the US IRS Special Agent in Charge of the case, Harry Chavis, said, “This group of suspects openly communicated about their fraud, taking pride in the multiple schemes that stole nearly $50 million from the American public.

“They lied and cheated a benefits system meant to help struggling businesses that need it, all while stealing cheques from agencies that assist the elderly and veterans. This gang of ‘bag hunters’ will now face justice for multiple charges.”

Following their indictment, the statement noted that the suspects could be sentenced to 62 years imprisonment each for the four counts.

It acknowledged that the defendants were presumed innocent until proven guilty by the court.

“Anand, 34, of Queens, New York; Nobore, 29, of Edgewater, New Jersey; Pappas, 28, of Miami, Florida; Ujkic, 44, of Ft. Lauderdale, Florida; Aluko, 29, of Hackensack, New Jersey; and Gonzalez, 28, of North Bergen, New Jersey, are each charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud and bank fraud, which carries a maximum sentence of 30 years in prison; conspiracy to commit money laundering and engaging in a monetary transaction in property derived from specific unlawful activity, which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison; conspiracy to defraud the government, which carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison; and aggravated identity theft, which carries a mandatory sentence of two years in prison.

“The maximum potential sentences are prescribed by Congress and are provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencing of the defendants will be determined by a judge.

“The charges contained in the indictment are merely accusations, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty,” the statement concluded.

A Nigerian woman based in the United States of America, Funke Iyanda, is at risk of 10 years imprisonment following her indictment in a $40,980 unemployment benefit fraud.

TheNigerian Metro learnt in a statement by the US Department of Justice on Thursday that Iyanda was an illegal resident of the US and was not entitled to the benefit for which she filed claims.

The statement noted that between May 2020 and May 2021, the suspect applied for the unemployment benefit scheme using another person’s identity and received a sum of $40,980.

The statement read, “A Nigerian national residing in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, has been indicted by a federal grand jury in Pittsburgh on charges of theft of government property. The one-count Indictment named Funke Iyanda, 43, with no U.S. status, as the sole defendant.

“According to the Indictment, from May 27, 2020, to May 24, 2021, Iyanda prepared and submitted a false application and claim for Pandemic Unemployment Assistance benefits in the name of another person to the PA Department of Labour, for which Iyanda received approximately $40,980 in unemployment benefits to which Iyanda was not legally entitled.”

The statement continued that if found guilty, the suspect could be sentenced to 10 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000.

It acknowledged that the suspect was considered innocent until proved otherwise by the court.

“The law provides for a maximum sentence of up to 10 years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000, or both.

“Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence would be based on the seriousness of the offence and the defendant’s prior criminal history, if any.

“An indictment is an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty,” the statement concluded.

TheNigerian Metro reported on March 5 that a US-based Professor of Nigeria origin, Gordian Ndubizu, was sentenced to two years imprisonment by a Trenton federal court for tax evasion.

The DoJ noted that Ndubizu alongside his wife, ran a pharmacy that earned about $3.28m in income, resulting in the evasion of approximately $1.25m in tax due and owing between 2014 and 2017.

Two women, Blessing Chima 47 and Chikamson Williams, 49, were on Wednesday arraigned before the Federal High Court for alleged N75m money laundering.

The defendants who were arraigned before Justice Ambrose Lewis-Alagoa are facing four counts bordering on conspiracy, obtaining by false pretence, illegal conversion and money laundering preferred against them by the police.

The police prosecutor, S.O. Ayodele, told the court that the duo committed the alleged offences between July 4 and 5, 2024.

Ayodele told the court that the first defendant, Chima, obtained the sum of N75m in two tranches of N25m and N50m, respectively, from one Mr Lanre Afebuameh under the guise of exchanging the said sum for Chinese Yen which she would send to his clients in China, a representation she knew to be false.

He also told the court that the second defendant, Williams, sometime in 2024, received the sum of N140m, part of which belonged to the complainant Afebuameh which was stolen from him by Chima which she reasonably ought to have known that the said sum was a proceed of crime but acquired, used, retained and took possession of the said amount.

According to the prosecutor, the offences committed contravened Sections 1(1) (c) and punishable under Section 1(3), 383, 390 (9), 18 (1) 2(d), 3, 20 (a) & (b) of the Advance Fee Fraud and other related offences Act 2006, 2004 and Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.

However, the defendants pleaded not guilty to the charges against them.

Following the defendant’s not-guilty plea, the prosecutor called the first prosecution witness, Mr Lanre Afebuameh, who is the victim of the alleged fraud, into the witness box.

In his testimony, Afebuameh, a businessman dealing in the mining of solid minerals, told the court how he met the first defendant, Blessing Chima, and how she told him that she was a licensed Bureau de Change operator.

Afebuameh said he did about two transactions with her which went well until the last one that became an issue.

He said on the last transaction which became an issue, he transferred the sum of N25m to the business account of Chima on July 4, 2024, and another N50m to the same account on July 5, for it to be transferred with the Chinese Yen equivalent to his customers in China.

The witness also told the court that Chima only transferred the Yen equivalent of N3m to his Chinese customer and continued to give excuses as to why she could not complete the transaction till date.

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has arrested 21 suspected internet fraudsters in Bauchi State.

The commission’s Gombe Zonal Directorate carried out the operation on Saturday, March 15, 2025, following credible intelligence on the suspects’ alleged involvement in cybercrime.

According to a statement by the EFCC on Monday via X, the suspects were apprehended at Kaure New Government Reservation Area and Awala, Maiduguri Road, in Bauchi.

During the raid, several luxury items were recovered, including a BMW car, a Toyota Camry, among others.

The EFCC emphasised that the suspects would be prosecuted after the completion of investigations.

“The suspects were arrested based on credible intelligence on their alleged involvement in internet-related fraud at Kaure New Government Reservation Area, GRA, Bauchi and Awala, Maiduguri road, Bauchi state.

“Items recovered from them at the point of arrest include one BMW and Toyota Camry cars, three PlayStation 5, 30 expensive phones, one flat-screen television set, six Point of Sale, POS, machines, four ipads, and five laptops.

“The suspects will be charged to court as soon as investigations are concluded,” the statement said.

 

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Justice Chukwujekwu Aneke of the Federal High Court in Lagos on Monday adjourned till May 8, 2025, for a report of settlement in an alleged N12.3bn fraud case against Chairman of the Honeywell Group, Oba Otudeko, and three others.

The court fixed the date following an agreement by all parties to allow the Minister of Justice and Attorney-General of the Federation , Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), to mediate and facilitate an amicable resolution of the matter.

Otudeko, alongside a former Managing Director of First Bank Plc, Olabisi Onasanya, a former board member of Honeywell, Soji Akintayo and a firm, Anchorage Leisure Ltd in the charge marked FHC/L/20C/2025, are facing 13 counts bordering on obtaining under false pretences preferred against them by the Economic and Financial Crimes’s Commission.

When the case was called on Monday, the prosecution counsel, Mrs Bilikisu Buhari, announced her appearance, while Chief Wole Olanipekun (SAN) appeared for the first defendant (Otudeko).

Mr. Olumide Fusika (SAN) represented the second defendant, Mr. Kehinde Ogunwumiju (SAN) appeared for the third defendant, while Dr. Charles Adeogun-Philips (SAN) represented the fourth defendant.

Also, Mr. Babajide Koku (SAN) held a watching brief for First Bank as the nominal complainant.

The case was initially scheduled for arraignment on January 20, 2025, but the defendants were absent on the grounds that the EFCC had not served them with any charge.

On the last adjourned date on February 13, 2025, the defence counsel had argued that the court ought to hear their preliminary objection to the suit.

First defence counsel, Chief Wole Olanipekun (SAN) had cited a plethora of authorities, raising objections to the charge.

Other defence counsel also made arguments before the court, each citing authorities to buttress their points in their respective applications.

The prosecutor, Mr Rotimi Oyedepo (SAN) on his part, had also responded to their application and had cited series of authorities in support of the arraignment of the defendants.

Earlier in his ruling on various applications challenging the jurisdiction of the court to entertain the charge, Justice Aneke held that under Section 396(2) of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA), the defendants must be arraigned before any applications challenging the court’s jurisdiction can be taken.

“It is now a settled principle of law that the plea of a defendant must first be taken before an application,” Aneke said.

The court cited authorities and relied on the decisions of Onnoghen V FRN, Bello v FRN cases among others, and held that an arraignment must be taken before any application.

“The issue before the court is whether the processes before the court can be taken before the arraignment of the defendants.

“Any preliminary objection to the validity of a charge can only be heard after a plea is taken; this is now a condition precedent and this court is bound by the decision.

“I agree with learned counsel for the prosecution, no preliminary objection can be taken without arraignment of the defendants.

“This is my view,” the court held.

Following the ruling, Olanipekun informed the court that on March 12, 2025, counsel for all parties met with the AGF to explore an out-of-court settlement.

He stated that substantial progress was made, and the AGF directed all parties to refrain from actions that could jeopardise the resolution process, including filing further applications.

He also disclosed that the next meeting with the AGF is scheduled for April 9, 2025, at the AGF’s office in Abuja.

Consequently, he urged the court to adjourn the case for a settlement report.

However, EFCC prosecutor, Buhari, opposed the adjournment solely for a settlement report, insisting that the next hearing should also include the defendants’ arraignment.

In response, Olanipekun reaffirmed that the AGF was actively mediating the settlement.

Other defence counsel, including Ogunwumiju (SAN), Fusika (SAN), and Adeogun-Philips (SAN), as well as First Bank’s counsel, Babajide Koku (SAN), confirmed their participation in the settlement meeting and supported the adjournment.

After considering the submissions, Justice Aneke granted the request and adjourned the matter to May 8, 2025, for a report on the settlement progress.