The Nigeria Police Force extradited suspected romance scammer Samuel Ugberease to the United States of America (USA) on Wednesday, May 14, 2026, to face charges of wire fraud, online romance scams and related financial crimes.
Ugberease, who operated under the aliases Putsammy, Putput and Sammy, was handed over to United States (US) authorities following the conclusion of extradition proceedings coordinated between Nigerian and American law enforcement agencies through the International Criminal Police Organization (INTERPOL) National Central Bureau (NCB) in Abuja.
Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Anthony Placid, spokesperson for the Nigeria Police Force, confirmed the extradition and outlined the scale of the alleged criminal operation. According to Placid, investigations established that between 2014 and 2018, Ugberease and a network of accomplices ran a criminal syndicate targeting female victims in the US, specifically within the Eastern District of North Carolina. The syndicate constructed fake online identities and fabricated dating profiles to build fraudulent emotional relationships with victims before manipulating them into transferring large sums of money under fabricated emergencies. In at least one case, a single victim was defrauded of over one million five hundred thousand US dollars.
Investigators further determined that the syndicate laundered proceeds through multiple bank accounts designed to receive, process and conceal illicit funds.
Ugberease had been based in South Africa before his arrest. INTERPOL NCB Abuja operatives apprehended him on December 14, 2025, at Murtala Mohammed International Airport in Lagos upon his arrival from South Africa, acting on an INTERPOL Red Notice issued by US authorities. Extradition proceedings were subsequently instituted at the Federal High Court, Lagos Judicial Division, which granted the application under the Extradition Act, Chapter (CAP) E25, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004.
Placid stated that the force would continue “leveraging INTERPOL tools, international partnerships, and intelligence-led policing to combat cybercrime.”
