A Nigerian national, James Junior Aliyu, has been sentenced to 90 months in prison in the United States for his role in a large-scale wire fraud and money laundering conspiracy.
Aliyu, who was arrested and extradited from South Africa to the United States, is the last of three defendants to plead guilty to his role in a business email compromise (BEC) scheme.
The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) announced the sentence in a statement on Saturday, March 21, 2026.
In addition to his jail term, the court ordered him to forfeit $1.2 million and pay $2.4 million in restitution to victims affected by the fraud.
ICE further disclosed that Aliyu will be deported from the United State upon completion of his prison sentence.
“James Junior Aliyu, a Nigerian national, will serve a 90-month sentence for his role in a wire fraud and money laundering conspiracy after planning to hack business email servers,” the statement read.
“Aliyu was extradited from South Africa to face justice.
“He was slapped with a $1.2M forfeiture order and a $2.4M restitution order and will be removed from the United States when he completes his sentence.
“ICE Homeland Security Investigations special agents in Maryland and South Africa offices were proud to be part of the international team that investigated this case.”
It was reported that Aliyu, who was residing in South Africa at the time of his criminal conduct, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud and money laundering.
Eight other defendants previously pleaded guilty in the District of Maryland in separate cases related to the same conspiracy.
On June 24, 2019, a federal grand jury returned an indictment, charging Aliyu, Kosi Goodness Simon-Ebo, 30, and Henry Onyedikachi Echefu, 31, for conspiracy to commit wire fraud and money laundering.
All three are Nigerian citizens who resided in South Africa at the time of the crimes.
Federal authorities unsealed the indictment on July 6, 2022, upon the defendants’ arrests outside of the U.S.
All three were extradited to the United States from outside the country to face their federal charges.
According to his plea agreement, from February 2017 until at least July 2017, Aliyu conspired with others to perpetrate a BEC scheme.
Specifically, Aliyu and his co-conspirators, including co-conspirators residing in Maryland, gained unauthorized access to email accounts associated with individuals and businesses that they targeted.
The co-conspirators sent false wiring instructions to the victims’ email accounts from “spoofed” emails — accounts associated with forged sender addresses — to deceive the victims into sending money to bank accounts controlled by the scheme’s perpetrators, which are called “drop accounts.”
Additionally, during the same timeframe, Aliyu and his co-conspirators plotted to commit money laundering.
They conspired to disburse the fraudulently obtained funds into the drop accounts and to other accounts by initiating account transfers, withdrawing cash, obtaining cashier’s checks, and writing checks to other individuals and entities to hide the true ownership and source of the assets.
As detailed in the plea agreement, the intended loss for transactions Aliyu was directly involved in was at least $4,162,211.65.
The actual loss resulting from these transactions was at least $1,570,475.
Aliyu directly controlled at least $1,194,565 of the funds they obtained from victims.
According to the plea agreement, Aliyu is required to pay a money judgment of at least $1,194,565, and restitution in the full amount of the victims’ losses, which the parties agree is at least $2,389,130.
The National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) has rescued 15 persons, including foreign nationals, after uncovering a suspected human trafficking syndicate allegedly operating under the guise of an online marketing company in Nasarawa State.
The rescue followed an operation by the agency in Keffi and Karu local government areas based on credible intelligence about suspicious activities linked to fraudulent online marketing operations.
NAPTIP disclosed this in a statement issued on Wednesday via its X handle.
It said the operation was conducted on May 7, 2026, by officers of its Investigation Department and the Intelligence and International Cooperation Unit.
“Preliminary investigation revealed that fifteen (15) persons comprising four (4) female victims and eleven (11) male victims were found at the location. Among the male victims, three (3) were identified as Nigerians, while others are foreign nationals.
“Findings indicate that the suspects allegedly operated under the guise of an online marketing company to recruit and harbour unsuspecting persons in conditions suspected to be connected to human trafficking, cyber-related exploitation, and other organised criminal activities,” the statement read.
NAPTIP described the development as a serious security and humanitarian concern, citing the deceptive recruitment methods allegedly used by the traffickers and the vulnerability of victims to exploitation.
It said investigations were ongoing to uncover the full extent of the network and arrest other collaborators linked to the syndicate.
The agency also reiterated its commitment to combating human trafficking and urged members of the public to report suspicious recruitment activities and movements within their communities to relevant authorities.
Officers of the Akwa Ibom State Police Command have apprehended suspected vandals in connection with the looting and theft of items from a truck involved in an accident along the Calabar–Itu Highway.
A statement issued by the command’s Public Relations Officer, DSP Timfon John, in Uyo on Monday said the suspects were arrested on Sunday, while vandalising and stealing from a truck that had fallen into a valley at the Afaha community located along the Highway.
According to the statement, the operatives, after credible intelligence, mobilised to the scene and arrested one Adamu Hamza, aged 19, and a native of Maiduguri, Borno State, who was found in possession of four suspected stolen truck tyres.
In a follow-up operation, they also arrested the tricycle operator, one Anthony James, who was allegedly used to convey the stolen items from the scene.
The statement reads in part, “The Akwa Ibom State Police Command has recorded another operational breakthrough following the arrest of suspected vandals involved in the looting and theft of items from an accidented truck along the Calabar–Itu Highway.
“On 10th May, 2026, at about 22:00 hours, Operatives of the Command acted swiftly on credible intelligence received through a tricycle operator regarding the activities of criminal elements vandalizing and stealing from a truck that had fallen into a valley at Afaha along the Calabar–Itu Highway.
“Acting promptly on the information, Police operatives mobilized to the scene and successfully arrested one Adamu Hamza ‘M’, aged 19, a native of Maiduguri, in possession of four suspected stolen truck tyres, with the value yet to be ascertained.
“Further investigation led to the arrest of the tricycle operator, one Anthony James, who was allegedly used to convey the stolen items from the scene.”
DSP John, who disclosed that the suspects are currently in Police custody, noted that efforts are ongoing to apprehend other fleeing accomplices connected to the criminal act.
She stated that the commissioner of police in the state, CP Baba Mohammed Azare, has warned all criminal elements to desist from looting accident scenes, and has also reiterated the command’s commitment to strengthening its surveillance and deploying intelligence-driven policing strategies to safeguard lives and property across the state.
She called on members of the public to continue providing timely and credible information to the Police, urging them to remain law-abiding and security-conscious at all times.
Gunmen have opened fire on the head office of a local security outfit, codenamed OSPAC, at Erema Street in Omoku town, Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni Local Government Area of Rivers State, injuring one officer. OSPAC is the acronym for Onelga Security and Peace Advisory Committee.
It was gathered that the incident which occurred at about 8:10pm on Saturday night caused pandemonium as residents and passersby scampered for safety.
Though the reason for the attack could not be ascertained as at the time of filing this report, it was gathered that the assailants rode on two cars, one of which was an ash-coloured Lexus Jeep.
Speaking to newsmen on Sunday, the Public Relations Officer of the security outfit in Rivers State, Godknows Nkem, said its office is a place where people come to lodge various complaints.
Nkem, however, expressed surprise how the gunmen drove into the office and started shooting indiscriminately, leaving one of its personnel with an ankle injury.
He stated, “At that hour of the day, the gunmen drove in and started shooting sporadically. Nobody died, but one of our personnel sustained a bullet injury on his ankle. Our station guards later repelled the attack.
“The fear of OSPAC is the beginning of wisdom in the entire Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni LGA and Rivers State at large. Just that for the past eight months we came on board, our welfare has not been catered for. We have been struggling to survive.”
The state OSPAC image maker however urged residents of ONELGA to be law abiding and go about their normal activities without fear and assured that the perpetrators will be fished out.
When contacted on Sunday afternoon, spokesperson for the Rivers State Police Command, Blessing Agabe, an Assistant Superintendent of Police, confirmed the attack on the vigilante office, saying investigation is ongoing.
Agabe stated, “I can confirm the incident. No arrest for now because the incident happened late in the night, but investigation is ongoing to unmask the identities of the perpetrators with a view to bringing them to justice.”
