The Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM) has advised Nigerians indicted in the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) probe to surrender themselves voluntarily or risk being extradited to the US.
This comes after the FBI listed at least 77 Nigerians in what it described as one of the largest fraud cases in US history.
According to Nick Hanna, a US attorney, investigations began since 2016, showing that the suspects colluded with federal and state agents to defraud people of their hard-earned money.
In a statement issued on Friday, Abike Dabiri-Erewa, chairman of the commission, said “We acknowledge the fact that accusation does not mean guilt, and we hope that all the accused will be given a fair and speedy trial.
“We also ask those accused in Nigeria to voluntarily turn themselves in to American authorities to clear their names without which the Nigerian government should extradite them if relevant international treaties between the two governments are invoked. ”
“While such actions ultimately have negative effect on the image of the country, the commission, however, reiterates as it has always done, that the actions of a few Nigerians involved in criminal activities are not and can never be what the majority of Nigerians represent.”