Nigeria and the United States have recorded 41 extraditions through joint efforts by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) since 2022, as both countries intensify cooperation against cybercrime and other financial offences.
The United States disclosed this in a statement on Monday following a visit to Abuja by its Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs, Michael Gonzales.
Gonzales held meetings with senior Nigerian government officials to discuss ways of strengthening collaboration against financially motivated sextortion, romance scams and other forms of transnational cybercrime.
The engagements, which took place during Nigeria’s Cybercrime Awareness Week, involved representatives of the EFCC, Office of the National Security Adviser, National Drug Law Enforcement Agency and Nigeria Police Force.
According to the statement issued by the Public Affairs Section of the US Diplomatic Mission to Nigeria, the 41 extraditions were facilitated through cooperation between the FBI Legal Attaché Office at the US Embassy in Abuja and the EFCC. Five of the extraditions were completed in 2026.
The figure represents an increase compared with the period between 2012 and 2021, when both countries recorded four arrests and five extraditions.
The statement further disclosed that Nigeria extradited two alleged cybercriminals to the United States in August over separate cases of financially motivated sextortion involving American minors who later died by suicide.
The US official acknowledged the contributions of the EFCC, Federal Ministry of Justice and Office of the Attorney General of the Federation to investigations and extradition proceedings.
He also stressed the need for both countries to extend their cooperation beyond individual cases by targeting criminal networks, financial systems and individuals who facilitate cybercrime activities.
On the growing threat of sextortion, the US government cited figures from the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, which received more than 50,000 reports of financially motivated sextortion in 2025. This represents an average of about 137 reports daily.
“The FBI identifies Nigeria and other parts of West Africa, as well as Southeast Asia, among the locations where the most prevalent sextortion networks have operated. Through Operation Artemis and related efforts, the FBI works with Nigerian authorities to identify and disrupt the networks targeting Americans,” the statement said.
It added that both countries were also working to address romance scams, which exploit personal relationships and trust to defraud victims of their savings and retirement funds.
The statement also noted that the Nigeria Police Force National Cybercrime Centre launched a nationwide online safety and cyber-hygiene campaign in March to educate citizens about romance scams, sextortion, phishing, identity theft and business email compromise.
During his meeting with the EFCC, Gonzales commended the commission for its record of economic crime investigations, high-profile prosecutions, asset recovery and public engagement.
“The EFCC’s partnership with the FBI shows what effective international law enforcement cooperation looks like: sharing information, identifying suspects, making arrests, and working through complex extradition proceedings,” the statement added.
The latest engagement forms part of broader security cooperation between Nigeria and the United States, including the establishment of a joint working group to coordinate responses to shared security challenges.
In November 2025, National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu led a Nigerian delegation to Washington, where it held meetings with officials of the US Congress, White House Faith Office, State Department, National Security Council and Department of War.
The delegation included the Attorney General of the Federation, Chief of Defence Staff and Inspector-General of Police.
Further engagements included meetings between Ribadu and US Vice President JD Vance in May 2026, as well as a visit to Abuja by US Assistant Secretary of State Frank Garcia in July.
The discussions covered counterterrorism, intelligence sharing, defence cooperation and regional security.
The US government said the next phase of cooperation would focus on stronger information sharing, faster investigations involving cyber and financial intelligence, increased public awareness, and improved investigative and prosecutorial capacity.
