Abiola Kayode, a 37-year-old Nigerian national, has been extradited from Ghana to the District of Nebraska to face charges related to an alleged $6 million cyber fraud scheme. This development comes after a conspiracy to commit wire fraud indictment was filed against him in August 2019.
According to the indictment, Kayode’s co-conspirators posed as high-ranking executives of targeted companies, using spoofed email accounts to direct employees to complete wire transfers. Kayode allegedly supplied bank account details used to funnel illicit funds, many of which belonged to victims of internet romance scams.
Kayode was arrested in April 2023 by Ghanaian authorities and was extradited to the US, where he had an initial appearance on the indictment on December 11, 2024. United States Magistrate Judge Michael D. Nelson ordered Kayode to remain detained pending trial.
Several of Kayode’s co-conspirators have already been brought to justice, including Adewale Aniyeloye, Pelumi Fawehinimi, Onome Ijomone, and Alex Ogunshakin, who were sentenced to various prison terms and restitution.
FBI Omaha Special Agent in Charge Eugene Kowel stated, “The FBI, working together with our partners in Ghana, particularly the Office of the Attorney General and Ministry of Justice, the Ghana Police Service – INTERPOL, and the Ghana Immigration Service, will continue to pursue and bring to justice criminals who engage in Business Email Compromise and other fraud schemes”.
