EFCC extradites Nigerian wanted by FBI over internet fraud

Fatade Idowu Olamilekan, wanted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation over his involvement in wire fraud in multiple states of the United States, has been extradited by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission to face charges.

Announcing the arrest and extradition on its website, the EFCC stated that the suspect has been on the FBI wanted list for stealing over $3.5 million worth of equipment.

Mr Olamilekan’s extradition took place after a notice was received by the EFCC from the FBI, through the U.S. Legal Attache over the role the Nigerian played in several fraud cases in various cities and academic institutions across the U.S.

The suspect’s trial was overseen by a grand jury in the Southern District of New York, where he was charged for wire fraud, interstate transportation of stolen property, and identity theft.

Mr Olamilekan was arrested by operatives of the EFCC in September 2021, after which Justice Chukwujekwu Aneke of the Federal High Court in Ikoyi Lagos, granted the request to extradite the suspect to the U.S. to face criminal charges against him.

Meanwhile, another extradition request involving disgraced police officer Abba Kyari, for his dealings with internet fraudster Ramon ‘Hushpuppi’ Abbas as a gun for hire in a multimillion-dollar fraud, remains in limbo.

In 2021, former Deputy Attorney General of California, Otis Wright, ordered the FBI to track down Mr Kyari and produce him to answer for his crime. However, the Muhammadu Buhari regime is yet to make any meaningful headway in Mr Kyari’s extradition.