Nigeria and the United States have stepped up their war against cybercrime, with joint operations between the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) securing 41 extraditions since 2022.
The figure, which includes five extraditions completed in 2026, marks a dramatic rise in law enforcement cooperation between both countries and signals a tougher approach to transnational cybercriminal networks.
The United States disclosed this in a statement on Monday following a visit to Abuja by Michael Gonzales, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs.
During the visit, Gonzales held high-level meetings with Nigerian security and law enforcement officials to strengthen cooperation against financially motivated sextortion, romance scams and other forms of cross-border cybercrime.
The engagements, held alongside Nigeria's Cybercrime Awareness Week, brought together representatives of the EFCC, Office of the National Security Adviser, National Drug Law Enforcement Agency and Nigeria Police Force.
According to the US statement, the 41 extraditions facilitated through the FBI Legal Attaché Office at the US Embassy in Abuja and the EFCC represent a significant leap from the period between 2012 and 2021, when both countries recorded just four arrests and five extraditions.
In one of the most troubling developments, Nigeria extradited two alleged cybercriminals to the United States in August over separate financially motivated sextortion cases involving American minors who died by suicide.
The cases have further intensified concerns over the devastating human cost of online exploitation and the growing reach of international cybercrime syndicates.
US Sounds Alarm Over Sextortion Networks
Washington warned that financially motivated sextortion is becoming an increasingly serious threat to young people, revealing that the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children received more than 50,000 reports of the crime in 2025.
That translates to approximately 137 reports every day.
The FBI identified Nigeria and other parts of West Africa, alongside Southeast Asia, as locations where some of the most prevalent sextortion networks have operated.
Through Operation Artemis and related initiatives, the bureau is working with Nigerian authorities to identify, investigate and dismantle networks targeting Americans.
The US government also raised concerns over romance scams, which criminals use to manipulate victims emotionally before draining their savings and retirement funds.
Beyond individual arrests, Gonzales called for a broader offensive against the criminal networks, financial infrastructure and facilitators that enable cybercrime to flourish across international borders.
EFCC, Police Get US Commendation
The US official commended the EFCC, the Federal Ministry of Justice and the Office of the Attorney General of the Federation for their contributions to investigations and extradition proceedings.
He described the EFCC as one of Africa's most recognised economic crime enforcement agencies, citing its record of high-profile prosecutions, asset recovery and public engagement.
The US government said the EFCC-FBI partnership demonstrates the importance of international law enforcement cooperation through intelligence sharing, suspect identification, arrests and complex extradition proceedings.
Meanwhile, the Nigeria Police Force National Cybercrime Centre launched a nationwide online safety and cyber-hygiene campaign in March.
The initiative targets common online threats, including romance scams, sextortion, phishing, identity theft and business email compromise.
Nigeria-US Security Partnership Gains Momentum
The renewed cybercrime offensive is part of a broader security partnership between Abuja and Washington, anchored by the establishment of a Nigeria-US Joint Working Group to coordinate responses to shared security threats.
In November 2025, National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu led a high-level Nigerian delegation to Washington for meetings with officials from 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, the Chief of Defence Staff and the Inspector-General of Police.
Further engagements followed, including meetings between Ribadu and US Vice President JD Vance in May 2026 and a visit by US Assistant Secretary of State Frank Garcia to Abuja in July.
Discussions covered counterterrorism, intelligence sharing, defence cooperation and regional security.
As both countries seek to deepen the partnership, Washington has identified faster investigations, stronger financial intelligence sharing, improved public awareness and greater investigative and prosecutorial capacity as priorities.
The message from the latest engagement is clear: the fight against cybercrime must go beyond arresting individual suspects to dismantling the networks, financial channels and international connections that keep the criminal trade alive.
Nigeria, US Secure 41 Cybercrime Extraditions in Five Years
