TDOsondu Victor Igwilo, popularly known as “Ezeego King of the Boys,” has reportedly been extradited to the United States to face charges linked to an alleged $100 million international fraud scheme, years after his arrest by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
Igwilo, who had been on the watch list of the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) since 2016, was arrested by EFCC operatives in Lagos on March 11, 2022, alongside three alleged accomplices — Okafor Nnamdi Chris, Nwodu Uchenna Emmanuel, and John Anazo Achukwu.
According to the anti-graft agency, the suspects were apprehended at a studio in the Sangotedo area of Lagos over allegations of fraud, money laundering, and identity theft involving approximately $100 million.
The EFCC alleged that Igwilo led a criminal network of “catchers,” individuals tasked with receiving and moving illicit proceeds generated through online fraud schemes.
Investigators said the group operated an advance-fee fraud syndicate that falsely promised investment funding to victims while impersonating officials of banks in the United States through both physical interactions and online communications.
Recent intelligence reports indicate that Igwilo was transferred from the Kuje Custodial Centre in Abuja on Monday and has now been handed over to U.S. authorities.
He is expected to be prosecuted before the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas.
U.S. prosecutors have reportedly charged him with wire fraud conspiracy, money laundering conspiracy, and aggravated identity theft.
Authorities allege that the fraud network used phishing emails, forged documents, and fake investment funding offers to deceive victims across several countries while posing as legitimate U.S. banking officials.
The FBI had listed Igwilo among its wanted suspects for years as part of an investigation into a transnational fraud operation that allegedly targeted victims worldwide.
The extradition marks a significant milestone in the collaboration between Nigerian and U.S. law enforcement agencies in combating cybercrime, financial fraud, and international money laundering.
As legal proceedings commence in the United States, Igwilo remains presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
