CAPE TOWN — Six Nigerian nationals accused of using online romance scams to defraud more than 100 women in the United States of over R100 million have been extradited from South Africa to face charges in the US.

The men — Perry Osagiede, Collins Owhofsa Otughwor, Osariemen Eric Clement, Musa Mudashiri, Franklyn Edosa Osagiede and Prince Ibeabuchi Mark — are alleged by US authorities to be members of the Black Axe organised criminal network.

They face allegations of wire fraud and money laundering, with South African authorities saying their alleged victims included pensioners and businesspeople who were drawn into sophisticated online relationships before being defrauded.

The six were arrested in South Africa in 2021 during a major takedown operation by the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation, commonly known as the Hawks.

After years of legal proceedings, the Cape Town Magistrate’s Court ruled in February 2024 that the men could be extradited to the US. Their transfer was subsequently coordinated by INTERPOL South Africa.

The suspects were transported from a correctional facility in Cape Town to Cape Town International Airport, where they were handed over to officials from the FBI and US Secret Service before embarking on a 16-hour flight to the United States.

The case dates back to a wider 2021 operation in which eight Nigerian nationals were arrested. Two of those suspects, Enorense Izevbiege and Toriseju Gabriel Otubu, followed separate legal paths, with Izevbiege later extradited to the US while Otubu was granted bail.