A wire fraud suspect, Fatade Idowu Olamilekan on wanted list of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, FBI, was on Thursday July 14, extradited to the United States for allegedly stealing over $3.5 Million USD worth of equipment in various cities across the US, Nigeria’s Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, disclosed on Tuesday.
The anti-graft agency said it coordinated the extradition following a notice from the Federal Bureau of Investigation, FBI New York, through the US Legal Attache for his role in impersonating various cities, state and academic institutions across the United States.
EFCC spokesperson, Wilson Uwujaren, who confirmed the extradition, said Fatade was indicted by a grand jury in the Southern District of New York for offences of wire fraud, interstate transportation of stolen property and identity theft.
“The suspect was arrested on September 30, 2021, by operatives of the EFCC and his extradition trial commenced sometime in November, 2021 before Justice Chukwujekwu Aneke of a Federal High Court sitting in Ikoyi, Lagos.
“On May 1, 2022, the Judge granted the request to extradite the suspect to the United States to answer to the criminal charges against him.
“Upon his arrival in the United States, the suspect is billed to appear before a United States District Court”, Uwujaren said.
This is coming just Abba Kyari, a suspended Deputy Commissioner of Police, DCP, and erstwhile head of the Police Intelligence Response Team, IRT, of the Federal Intelligence Bureau, FIB, awaits his fate next month in an ongoing extradition process over a fraud related indictment by the FBI in the US.
A Federal High Court in Abuja had slated August 29 for judgment in a suit seeking to extradite Kyari to the US to face fraud charges.
Nigeria’s Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, filed the extradition proceedings against the suspended cop seeking the court’s approval to surrender him to the United States government.
He is wanted by the American Government over pending fraud charges filed against him and others at the Central District Court of Central District of California.
U.S. prosecutors accuse him of complicity in a $1.1million international fraud spearheaded by Abbas Ramon, popularly known as Hushpuppi, a former Nigerian Instagram celebrity awaiting sentencing after pleading guilty to the scam and other criminal activities.
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