The United States and Nigeria have agreed to strengthen cooperation in tackling financially motivated sextortion, romance scams and other forms of transnational cybercrime following a visit by US Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs, Michael Gonzales, to Abuja. According to a press statement available……
The United States and Nigeria have agreed to strengthen cooperation in tackling financially motivated sextortion, romance scams and other forms of transnational cybercrime following a visit by US Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs, Michael Gonzales, to Abuja.
According to a press statement available to TVC News dated November 2, 2026, Gonzales made the commitment during meetings with senior Nigerian government officials from the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA), the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) and the Nigeria Police Force (NPF), coinciding with Nigeria’s Cybercrime Awareness Week.
The discussions focused on expanding joint efforts against cyber-enabled crimes, particularly those targeting vulnerable individuals across international borders.
According to the US government, Gonzales emphasised the need for both countries to match the speed at which cybercrime operates with effective cross-border law enforcement cooperation.
“Noting how cybercrime can cross borders in seconds, DAS Gonzales challenged U.S. and Nigerians counterparts to ensure that cooperation to fight such criminality also does the same,” the statement said.
He also cited recent extraditions as evidence of the impact of joint investigations and law enforcement efforts, stressing that international borders should not protect individuals accused of preying on citizens.
“Recent extraditions demonstrate that when the United States and Nigeria combine investigative, diplomatic, and law-enforcement capabilities, international borders do not provide sanctuary to those who prey on our citizens,” he said.
The statement disclosed that Nigeria extradited two alleged cybercriminals to the United States in August. They are facing charges in separate financially motivated sextortion cases involving American minors who died by suicide.
It added that since 2022, the FBI Legal Attaché Office at the US Embassy in Abuja had worked with the EFCC on 41 extraditions, including five completed in 2026.
Read Also: EFCC Arrests 21 Suspected Cybercrime Fraudsters In Lekki Sting Operation
The figure represents an increase compared with the period between 2012 and 2021, when the two countries recorded four arrests and five extraditions.
Gonzales acknowledged the support of the EFCC, the Federal Ministry of Justice and the Office of the Attorney General of the Federation in investigations and extradition proceedings.
He also highlighted the importance of swift and public accountability in discouraging cybercriminal activities, noting that some recent cases required years of joint investigative efforts.
On the growing threat of sextortion, the US government said the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children received more than 50,000 reports of financially motivated sextortion in 2025, averaging about 137 reports daily.
The FBI identified Nigeria and other parts of West Africa, as well as Southeast Asia, among locations where some of the most prevalent sextortion networks have operated.
Through Operation Artemis and other related initiatives, the FBI works with Nigerian authorities to identify and disrupt networks targeting Americans.
The two countries are also seeking to address romance scams, which exploit personal relationships and trust to defraud victims of their savings and retirement funds.
The statement further noted that the NPF National Cybercrime Centre launched a nationwide online-safety and cyber-hygiene campaign in March, targeting threats including romance scams, sextortion, phishing, identity theft and business email compromise.
During his meeting with the EFCC, Gonzales commended the agency for its work in economic crime enforcement, including high-profile prosecutions, asset recovery and public engagement.
He described the EFCC’s partnership with the FBI as an example of effective international law enforcement cooperation, involving information sharing, suspect identification, arrests and extradition proceedings.
However, he called for the partnership to become faster, more routine and proactive, with greater attention to criminal networks, financial infrastructure and those facilitating cybercrime.
Looking ahead, the United States and Nigeria identified stronger information sharing, faster conversion of cyber and financial intelligence into investigations, wider public awareness of sextortion and romance scams, and improved investigative and prosecutorial capacity as key areas for further cooperation.
Gonzales said the United States would measure the success of the partnership by its impact rather than the number of programmes it funds.
“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.
Click Here For The Original Source.
——————————————————–
