Nigeria Extradites Romance Scam Suspect to US

LAGOS, Nigeria — The Nigeria Police Force extradited Samuel Ugberease, known online by the aliases Putsammy, Putput and Sammy, to the United States on Wednesday to face federal charges of online romance scamming, wire fraud and related financial crimes.

Ugberease, who had been residing in South Africa, was arrested by INTERPOL officers at Lagos's Murtala Mohammed International Airport on December 14, 2025, upon arrival from South Africa. The arrest followed an INTERPOL Red Notice issued by U.S. authorities. A Federal High Court in Lagos approved the extradition request under Nigeria's Extradition Act (CAP E25, 2004), paving the way for his handover after coordinated efforts between Nigerian and U.S. law enforcement.

Investigations by the Nigeria Police Force, through its INTERPOL National Central Bureau in Abuja, revealed that between 2014 and 2018, Ugberease and accomplices ran a syndicate targeting women in the United States, particularly in the Eastern District of North Carolina. The group created fake online identities and dating profiles to build fraudulent emotional relationships with victims. They then manipulated those victims into wiring large sums of money by...