FBI Extradites Nigerian Fraudster, Abiola Kayode From Ghana To US Over Alleged $6m Fraud

The U.S. Attorney for the District of Nebraska, Susan Lehr, has announced the extradition of 37-year-old Abiola Kayode from Ghana to face charges related to an alleged $6 million cyber fraud scheme.

A statement from the U.S. Attorney’s Office revealed that Kayode, previously listed on the FBI’s Most Wanted Cyber Criminals, was involved in a Business Email Compromise (BEC) scheme between January 2015 and September 2016.

This scheme defrauded businesses in Nebraska and beyond of millions of dollars.

The indictment against Kayode was filed in Omaha, Nebraska, in August 2019.

In April 2023, authorities in Ghana arrested Abiola Kayode at the request of the U.S. Following approval of the extradition.

Kayode was handed over to FBI agents and transported to Nebraska, where he made his first court appearance on December 11, 2024.

U.S. Magistrate Judge Michael D. Nelson ordered the Nigerian national to remain in custody while awaiting trial.

The indictment accuses Kayode of working with co-conspirators who impersonated company executives through spoofed email accounts.

These emails directed employees to carry out fraudulent wire transfers, which were sent to accounts controlled by Kayode and his accomplices.

Some of these accounts were linked to victims of internet romance scams, who were manipulated into transferring funds further.

Adewale Aniyeloye, one of the fraudsters sending the spoofed e-mails to the target business, was sentenced in February 2019 to 96 months’ imprisonment and ordered to pay $1,570,938.05 in restitution.

Pelumi Fawehinimi, a bank account facilitator, was sentenced in March 2019 to 72 months imprisonment and ordered to pay $1,014,159.60 in restitution.

Onome Ijomone, a romance scammer, was sentenced in January 2020 to 60 months imprisonment and ordered to pay $508,934.40 in restitution after his successful extradition from Poland.

Other suspects involved in the scheme remain at large..

Alex Ogunshakin, a co-conspirator who provided bank accounts for the scheme, was sentenced to 45 months’ imprisonment in October 2024 after his successful extradition from Nigeria.

FBI Special Agent in Charge Eugene Kowel emphasized the agency’s commitment to dismantling cybercriminal networks that target U.S. citizens and businesses.

“Four years ago, we identified six Nigerian nationals suspected of defrauding individual victims and businesses in Nebraska and other states of millions of dollars,” said FBI Omaha Special Agent in Charge Eugene Kowel.

“Today, Abiola Kayode is the second of those co-conspirators to be extradited to stand trial in Nebraska. Our message to the remaining four co-conspirators; we are coming for you. Dismantling cyber-criminal groups that victimize U.S. citizens is a priority for the FBI, DOJ, and our international law enforcement partners.

“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.”

This case was then investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

The Department of Justice’s Office of International Affairs provided significant assistance in securing Kayode’s extradition.

This comes weeks after the FBI arrested 25-year-old Oluyomi Omobolanle Bombata, also known as “Bobo Chicago,” over an alleged $2.8 million email scam and money laundering operation.