The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has successfully extradited 37-year-old Nigerian Abiola Kayode, who was on their Most Wanted Cyber Criminal List, to Nebraska. Kayode faces serious charges in connection with a cyber fraud scheme that defrauded businesses of more than $6 million across Nebraska and other locations.
According to the FBI, Kayode participated in a Business Email Compromise (BEC) scam between January 2015 and September 2016, targeting businesses in the District of Nebraska and beyond. The scheme involved fraudsters posing as business executives to trick company employees into wiring large sums of money.
The indictment against Kayode was filed in August 2019, and authorities in Ghana arrested him in April 2023 following an extradition request from the U.S. The Ghanaian authorities granted the request, and Kayode was handed over to the FBI, who transported him to Nebraska for his trial.
Kayode made his initial appearance on the charges on December 11, 2024. U.S. Magistrate Judge Michael D. Nelson ordered that Kayode remain in detention pending trial.
The scheme allegedly involved Kayode and his co-conspirators posing as top executives of businesses and sending fraudulent emails requesting wire transfers from employees, who believed the requests were legitimate. Kayode is accused of providing bank account details to the fraudsters to direct the wire transfers to accounts he controlled.
These accounts were reportedly linked to victims of internet romance scams, with Kayode directing the victims to transfer funds into other bank accounts. Several of Kayode’s co-conspirators have already been convicted and sentenced for their roles in the fraud, including Adewale Aniyeloye, who received a 96-month prison sentence and was ordered to pay $1.5 million in restitution.
Other convicted conspirators include Pelumi Fawehinimi, sentenced to 72 months for his role as a bank account facilitator, and Onome Ijomone, a romance scammer sentenced to 60 months. Alex Ogunshakin, another accomplice, was sentenced to 45 months in October 2024 after being extradited from Nigeria.
The FBI continues to pursue other individuals involved in the scheme, underscoring the seriousness of cybercrime and its international reach.
