Nigeria: US secures extradition of UK-based Nigerian for suspected fraud
By Zuleihat Owuiye, Mamos Nigeria
A Nigerian national, Ehis Akhimie, has been extradited from the United Kingdom to the United States of America to face charges related to organized crime, including an international fraud scheme targeting elderly consumers in the US.
The US Department of Justice confirmed Akhimie’s extradition, stating that it resulted from extensive coordination and cooperation between the DOJ and law enforcement agencies across multiple countries. The coordinated efforts involved law enforcement agencies from Colombia, the Dominican Republic, France, Guatemala, Honduras, Israel, the Kyrgyz Republic, Mexico, Spain, and the UK.
Akhimie, 41, was extradited from the UK to the Southern District of Florida, where he will face charges for allegedly participating in a transnational criminal organization that ran an inheritance fraud scheme targeting elderly consumers in the US.
The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs provided significant assistance in securing Akhimie’s arrest and extradition, along with the US Marshals Service. The DOJ thanked and acknowledged the instrumental role of its law enforcement partners in Colombia, the Dominican Republic, France, Guatemala, Honduras, Israel, the Kyrgyz Republic, Mexico, Spain, and the UK for making the extradition possible.
Head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, Matthew R. Galeotti, stated that the dedicated and persistent work of the Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs with foreign partners resulted in the extradition of fugitives wanted in the US for violent crimes. Galeotti emphasized that the Justice Department will aggressively pursue and bring to justice transnational criminals and hold them accountable for the harm and violence they have committed in the US and abroad.
This extradition is part of a larger effort by the US government to combat transnational organized crime and protect American citizens from fraud and other crimes. The Justice Department has been working closely with law enforcement agencies around the world to disrupt and dismantle criminal organizations that operate across borders.
