FG asks Nigerians indicted by FBI to surrender

The Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM) has asked the 77 Nigerians indicted by the the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) in connection to massive fraud and money laundering to surrender themselves.

On Thursday, August 22, 2019, Pulse reported that the 77 Nigerians were implicated in fraud cases the FBI described as one of the largest in the history of the United States.

Reacting to the fraud allegations against the suspects by the United States, in a statement on Friday, August 23, 2019, the Chairman of the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM), Abike Dabiri-Erewa, urged the suspects to surrender themselves to the US authorities to clear their names, adding that they are still innocent until proven guilty.

The statement reads in part: “We acknowledge the fact that accusation does not mean guilt, and we hope that all the accused will be given 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 is not and can never be what the majority of Nigerians represent.”

According to the United States Attorney for the Central District of California, Nick Hanna, if the the suspects, whose names have been released by the FBI are convicted, they will ‘face potential decades in federal prison’.