FRAUD: FG threatens to extradite accused Nigerians

The Chairman of Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM), Abike Dabiri-Erewa has responded to the list released by the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) containing about 80 Nigerians charged to court by the United States Government over their involvement in fraudulent activities.

In a statement, Dabiri-Erewa stated that the Nigerians should voluntarily turn themselves in or risk being extradited to the US.

Nairametrics had reported that the FBI indicted some Nigerians with charges ranging from conspiracy to commit fraud, to conspiracy to launder money and aggravated identity theft, among other substantive charges.

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Dabiri-Erewa said that the accusation on Nigerians did not mean they were guilty but that the law had to take its place, so the accused shall be given a free and fair trial.

“We acknowledge the fact that accusation does not mean guilt, and we hope that all the accused will be given a fair and speedy trial.

“We also ask those accused in Nigeria to voluntarily turn themselves in to American authorities to clear their names without which the Nigerian government should extradite them if relevant international treaties between the two governments are invoked.

“While such actions ultimately have a negative effect on the image of the country, the commission, however, reiterates as it has always done, that the actions of a few Nigerians involved in criminal activities are not and can never be what the majority of Nigerians represent.”

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What you should know: The US attorney, Nick Hanna revealed that the FBI was targeting the 80 suspects involved in the Business email compromise (BEC) scam including the operatives responsible for enabling the fraud cases. He noted that so far a total of 14 suspects have been arrested in Los Angeles but unfortunately many of these suspects are also located in Nigeria.