By Peace Udugba -The Daily Torch Media
The United States and Nigeria have agreed to deepen cooperation in tackling financially motivated sextortion, romance scams and other forms of transnational cybercrime.
The renewed commitment followed a visit to Abuja by the United States Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL), Michael Gonzales, who met with senior Nigerian government officials to discuss ways of strengthening joint security efforts.
The visit coincided with Nigeria’s Cybercrime Awareness Week and featured engagements with officials of 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).
During the meetings, Gonzales stressed the need for stronger collaboration to combat cyber-enabled crimes, particularly those targeting vulnerable individuals through financial sextortion and online romance scams.
He noted that cybercrime could cross international borders within seconds, urging both countries to ensure that their cooperation in tackling criminal activities was equally swift.
According to him, recent extraditions demonstrate that criminals cannot use international borders as safe havens when the United States and Nigeria combine their investigative, diplomatic and law enforcement capabilities.
Two Alleged Cybercriminals Extradited to U.S.
Highlighting the progress made through bilateral cooperation, Gonzales disclosed that Nigeria extradited two alleged cybercriminals to the United States in August.
The suspects are facing charges in separate financially motivated sextortion cases involving American minors who died by suicide.
He also revealed that the FBI Legal Attaché Office at the U.S. Embassy in Abuja had worked with the EFCC on 41 extraditions since 2022, including five completed in 2026.
This represents a significant increase compared with the period between 2012 and 2021, when the two countries recorded only four arrests and five extraditions.
Gonzales acknowledged the contributions of the EFCC, the Federal Ministry of Justice and the Office of the Attorney General of the Federation to investigations and extradition proceedings.
He emphasised that swift and visible action to hold cybercriminals accountable would help deter others from exploiting unsuspecting victims.
U.S., Nigeria Intensify Fight Against Sextortion
The American official described financially motivated sextortion as a devastating crime affecting children and families.
He cited figures from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, which received more than 50,000 reports of financially motivated sextortion in 2025, representing approximately 137 reports daily.
The FBI identifies Nigeria and other parts of West Africa, alongside Southeast Asia, as locations where some of the most prevalent sextortion networks have operated.
Through Operation Artemis and related initiatives, the FBI is working with Nigerian authorities to identify and dismantle criminal networks targeting Americans.
Both countries are also strengthening efforts against romance scams, which exploit personal relationships and trust, often leaving victims with substantial financial losses, including their life savings and retirement funds.
In March 2026, the Nigeria Police Force National Cybercrime Centre launched a nationwide online safety and cyber-hygiene campaign addressing romance scams, sextortion, phishing, identity theft and business email compromise.
Gonzales Commends EFCC
At his meeting with the EFCC, Gonzales commended the commission for its role as one of Africa’s prominent economic and financial crime enforcement agencies.
He acknowledged its record in high-profile prosecutions, asset recovery and public engagement, describing its partnership with the FBI as an example of effective international law enforcement cooperation.
He said the partnership had facilitated information sharing, suspect identification, arrests and complex extradition proceedings.
While acknowledging that some investigations had taken years of joint efforts, he called for faster and more proactive cooperation to tackle criminal networks, financial infrastructure and those facilitating cybercrime.
Five Areas Identified for Stronger Cooperation
Looking ahead, the United States and Nigeria identified key areas for strengthening their law enforcement partnership.
They include improved information sharing between agencies in both countries, faster conversion of cyber and financial intelligence into investigations, wider public awareness of sextortion and romance scams, and enhanced investigative, prosecutorial and cybercrime-reporting capabilities in Nigeria.
Gonzales reiterated that the United States would measure the success of its partnership with Nigeria not merely by the number of programmes it funds but by tangible outcomes.
These include protecting victims, disrupting criminal networks, advancing investigations, securing successful convictions and strengthening Nigerian institutions to sustain the fight against cybercrime.
He said the ultimate objective was to ensure lasting benefits for both Nigerian and American citizens.
Tags: EFCC, FBI, Michael Gonzales, Nigeria Police Force, Cybercrime, Sextortion, Romance Scams, U.S.-Nigeria Relations, Cybersecurity.
