By Mercy Gadia
The Nigeria Police Force has extradited a suspected cyber fraudster, Samuel Ugberease, also known as “Putsammy”, “Putput” and “Sammy”, to the United States of America to face prosecution over alleged romance scam and wire fraud.
The police said the suspect was extradited on Wednesday following the conclusion of legal proceedings and collaboration between Nigerian and US law enforcement agencies.
According to a statement on Thursday by the Force Public Relations Officer, Anthony Placid, the extradition was facilitated through the INTERPOL National Central Bureau Abuja.
Placid said investigations revealed that Ugberease and his accomplices operated a cybercrime syndicate between 2014 and 2018, targeting women in the US through online romance scams.
He stated that the syndicate created fake identities and dating profiles to deceive victims, build emotional relationships and subsequently manipulate them into sending money under false pretences.
“The group used fabricated emergencies and deceptive narratives to defraud victims of large sums,” he said.
The police spokesman added that proceeds of the fraud were laundered through multiple bank accounts to conceal the illicit funds.
“In one of the cases, the suspect was linked to the defrauding of a victim of over $1.5m,” Placid said.
He noted that the suspect was arrested on December 14, 2025, by INTERPOL operatives at the Murtala Mohammed International Airport upon arrival from South Africa, following a red notice issued by US authorities.
According to him, extradition proceedings were later instituted at the Federal High Court in Lagos, which granted the request in line with the Extradition Act.
Placid said the police would continue to leverage international partnerships and intelligence-led policing to combat cybercrime and other transnational organised crimes.
“The Nigeria Police Force remains committed to working with global partners to ensure perpetrators of financial crimes are brought to justice,” he added.