The United States and Nigeria have Intensified their partnership to tackle sextortion, romance scams and other forms of financially motivated cybercrime.
This followed a visit to Abuja by the U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL), Michael Gonzales, to advance shared U.S.-Nigeria security priorities.
The visit coincided with Nigeria’s Cybercrime Awareness Week.
During the visit, DAS Gonzales met with senior officials of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA), the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), the Nigeria Police Force (NPF), and the Federal Ministry of Justice.
The meetings focused on expanding joint efforts against transnational cybercrime, strengthening cooperation against financially motivated sextortion, romance scams, and other cyber-enabled crimes.
DAS Gonzales noted that cybercrime crosses borders in seconds, and stressed that the U.S. and Nigerian counterparts must cooperate to fight such crimes urgently.
In August, Nigeria extradited two alleged cybercriminals to the United States. They face charges in separate financially motivated sextortion cases, including one in which a U.S. victim died by suicide.
Since 2023, the FBI’s work with Nigeria has led to the identification of suspects in more than 100 cases, 41 extraditions, including five completed in 2026. This marks a sharp increase from 2012 to 2021, when the two countries recorded only four extraditions.
DAS Gonzales acknowledged the critical support provided by the EFCC, the Federal Ministry of Justice, and the Office of the Attorney General of the Federation for these investigations and extraditions.
He emphasized how expeditious and public action holding criminals accountable can play a significant role in deterring criminals from preying on victims.
Financially motivated sextortion devastates children and families. The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children received more than 50,000 reports of financially motivated sextortion in 2025, about 137 reports every day.
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, the FBI works with Nigerian authorities to identify and disrupt the networks targeting Americans. The two countries are also focused on romance scams, which exploit trust and human relationships and can cost victims their life savings and retirement funds.
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(Editor: Anoyoyo Ogiagboviogie)
