Supreme Court Approves Extradition Of Suspected Nigerian Fraudster On FBI List To United States

Nigeria's apex court, the Supreme Court has ordered the extradition of a Nigerian, Princewill Ugonna Anuebunwa, wanted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), to the United States.

Anuebunwa, according to reports, has long been on the FBI list of wanted persons to answer charges bordering on two counts of “conspiracy to commit wire fraud, wire fraud, and aiding and abetting.”

The extradition request was made by the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, through the Central Authority Unit (CAU) of the Federal Ministry of Justice, headed by Akutah Pius Ukeyima.

The Supreme Court restored the June 1, 2020 judgment by Justice Inyang Ekwo of the Federal High Court in Abuja, setting aside the November 6, 2020 judgment by the Court of Appeal.

The Court of Appeal had, in its judgment in the appeal marked: CA/A/CV/387/2020 filed by Anuebunwa reversed the Federal High Court judgment, which granted the AGF’s request to surrender Anuebunwa for trial in the US on pending two counts of “conspiracy to commit wire fraud; wire fraud, and aiding and abetting.”

Ordering the reversal, Justice Helen Ogunwumiju, in the lead judgment read by Justice Tijani Abubakar, faulted the Court of Appeal’s decision, insisting that the suspect must defend himself.

In January 2020, Justice Mojisola Dada of Lagos State High Court, Ikeja, Special Offences section, sentenced Chibundu Joseph Anuebunwa to one year in prison.

He was found guilty on two charges of conspiracy to steal and retain stolen property contrary to Sections 411 and 328(1) of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2015.

The convict committed the crime alongside his brother, Princewill Ugonna Anuebunwa, who was then at large.

In July 2019, the FBI petitioned the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), notifying the agency that the siblings allegedly perpetrated Business Email Compromise (BEC), romance scams, mystery shopper fraud and tax fraud.