A suspected international fraudster, Osondu Victor Igwilo, popularly known as ‘Ezeego King of the Boys,’ has reportedly been extradited from Nigeria to the United States to face allegations linked to a multi-million-dollar fraud scheme.
Sources familiar with the matter told SaharaReporters that Igwilo was extradited on Monday afternoon from the Kuje Custodial Centre in Abuja.
“Today, Osondu Victor Igwilo, also called Ezeego King of the Boys, was extradited on Monday afternoon to the USA from Kuje prison,” a source said.
The source further alleged that Igwilo wielded considerable influence while in custody at the correctional facility.
According to the source, the suspected fraudster exercised significant control within the prison environment and maintained close relationships with some officials at the facility.
“He decided almost everything that happened in the prison yard. He controlled the yard and decided for many of the officers in charge at the Kuje facility, which is marred by a high level of corruption and illicit dealings,” the source alleged.
The source also told SaharaReporters that another inmate identified as Shettima allegedly collected more than N200 million from Igwilo under the pretext of helping to halt the extradition process.
“I even confirmed that Shettima, another inmate who just came out after serving his jail term, duped Ezego of over N200 million to stop the extradition process,” the source alleged.
Igwilo first came to public attention in March 2022 when operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) arrested him during a raid in the Sangotedo area of Lagos State.
The anti-graft agency had disclosed that Igwilo, who was then 52 years old and had reportedly been on the watch list of the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) since 2018, was arrested alongside three other suspects, Okafor Nnamdi Chris, Nwodu Uchenna Emmanuel and John Anazo Achukwu.
According to the EFCC, the suspects were arrested over allegations of fraud, money laundering and identity theft involving an estimated $100 million.
The commission alleged that Igwilo was the leader of a criminal network of so-called “catchers” operating within an international fraud syndicate.
In fraud investigations, a “catcher” refers to an intermediary allegedly used to receive, transfer, withdraw or launder proceeds of fraudulent activities on behalf of principal fraudsters, thereby helping to conceal the origin and movement of illicit funds.
The EFCC further alleged that before their arrest, Igwilo and his associates were involved in an advance-fee fraud scheme in which victims were deceived through false promises of investment funding.
Investigators claimed that members of the syndicate impersonated officials of financial institutions in the United States, both online and in person, to lure victims into fraudulent transactions.
In December 2018, U.S. authorities charged Igwilo as the alleged mastermind of an international advance-fee fraud scheme that targeted victims across several countries.
According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Texas, Igwilo was accused of leading a network of operatives known as “catchers” who allegedly used phishing emails and false investment offers purportedly linked to BB&T Corporation, a U.S.-based bank, to defraud victims.
Investigators alleged that victims were promised access to investment funding but were required to make advance payments before the funds could be released.
To make the scheme appear legitimate, individuals recruited by Igwilo allegedly posed as bank representatives, met victims in person, and used forged documents and fake U.S. government seals to support the fraudulent claims.
U.S. authorities further alleged that funds obtained from victims were transferred through bank accounts in the United States and laundered through a network of associates before being sent to Nigeria.
Some of the proceeds were reportedly used to purchase luxury vehicles, including Mercedes-Benz and Range Rover models, which were then shipped to Nigeria.
Igwilo was charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud, conspiracy to commit money laundering, and aggravated identity theft. At the time the charges were announced, U.S. authorities described him as a fugitive.
(SaharaReporters)
