US-Nigeria Step Up Fight Against Sextortion, Romance Scams
…41 extraditions recorded since 2022 as both countries move to dismantle cybercrime networks
By Gloria Ikibah 
The United States and Nigeria have agreed to strengthen cooperation against sextortion, romance scams and other transnational cybercrimes, following a series of joint investigations that have resulted in 41 extraditions to the US since 2022.
The agreement was reached during a visit to Abuja by the US Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs, Michael Gonzales, who met with senior officials of Nigeria’s Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA), National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) and Nigeria Police Force (NPF).
The discussions, which coincided with Nigeria’s Cybercrime Awareness Week, focused on expanding joint efforts to tackle financially motivated sextortion, romance scams and other cyber-enabled crimes.
Gonzales stressed the need for faster international cooperation, noting that cybercriminals could operate across national borders within seconds.
He challenged officials from both countries to ensure that efforts to combat cybercrime moved just as quickly.
Recent extraditions, he said, had demonstrated that international borders could not protect criminals when both countries combined their investigative, diplomatic and law enforcement capabilities.
In August, Nigeria extradited two alleged cybercriminals to the United States. They are facing separate charges involving financially motivated sextortion cases targeting American minors who later died by suicide.
The US official disclosed that the FBI Legal Attaché Office at the US Embassy in Abuja had worked with the EFCC on 41 extraditions since 2022, including five completed in 2026.
He noted that the figure represented a significant increase compared with the period between 2012 and 2021, when both countries recorded only four arrests and five extraditions.
Gonzales acknowledged the contributions of the EFCC, the Federal Ministry of Justice and the Office of the Attorney General of the Federation to the investigations and extradition processes.
He also stressed the importance of swift and visible action in holding offenders accountable, saying it could help deter others from targeting unsuspecting victims.
Sextortion, romance scams under focus
Highlighting the dangers of financially motivated sextortion, the US official said the crime continued to devastate children and families.
According to him, the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children received more than 50,000 reports of financially motivated sextortion in 2025, representing approximately 137 reports daily.
He said the FBI had identified Nigeria and other parts of West Africa, alongside Southeast Asia, as locations where some of the most prevalent sextortion networks operated.
Through Operation Artemis and related initiatives, the FBI works with Nigerian authorities to identify and dismantle networks targeting Americans.
Both countries are also strengthening efforts against romance scams, which exploit personal relationships and trust to defraud victims, sometimes wiping out their life savings and retirement funds.
The statement noted that the Nigeria Police Force National Cybercrime Centre launched a nationwide online safety and cyber-hygiene campaign in March to educate Nigerians 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 high-profile prosecutions, asset recovery and public engagement, describing it as one of Africa’s most recognised economic crime enforcement agencies.
He said the partnership between the EFCC and the FBI demonstrated the value of international law enforcement cooperation through information sharing, suspect identification, arrests and complex extradition proceedings.
According to him, some recent investigations required years of joint efforts, reflecting the institutional commitment of both countries.
However, he called for faster and more routine cooperation, urging both countries to move beyond individual cases to target entire criminal networks, financial infrastructure and those facilitating cybercrime before more victims are harmed.
Looking ahead, the United States identified stronger intelligence sharing, faster conversion of cyber and financial intelligence into investigations, wider public awareness and improved Nigerian investigative and prosecutorial capabilities as priority areas for cooperation.
Gonzales reiterated that the success of the partnership would not be measured by the number of programmes funded by the US government but by tangible outcomes.
“Instead, the focus is on outcomes: victims protected, criminal networks disrupted, investigations advanced, successful convictions, and Nigerian institutions increasingly capable of sustaining these efforts for the good of the Nigerian and American people,” the statement said.
The US government said sustained cooperation would strengthen the capacity of both countries to protect citizens, disrupt international criminal networks and bring perpetrators to justice.
