UK Arrests Nigerian Man Wanted in US for $235,000 Cyber Fraud

A Nigerian national residing in the United Kingdom, Farouk Adekunle Adepoju, has been arrested by British authorities at the request of the United States government after being indicted on multiple counts of wire fraud and computer fraud.

According to US prosecutors, Adepoju allegedly hacked into the email system of a Pennsylvania-based construction company contracted by a university. He then created spoofed email accounts to impersonate company staff and redirected payment instructions, successfully diverting about $235,266 (₦363 million) into an account under his control. The funds remain unrecovered.

The US Department of Justice announced on Thursday that Adepoju, who was arrested on September 15, 2025, now faces a seven-count indictment in the Western District of Pennsylvania. Prosecutors allege that between March and April 2023, he manipulated email rules and used a fake domain to trick the university into updating the company’s bank details with fraudulent information.

US officials, including Acting Attorney Troy Rivetti and FBI Special Agent Kevin Rojek, emphasized that the case highlights the global reach of American law enforcement in tackling cybercrime. They warned that business email compromise schemes remain among the most financially damaging threats to institutions worldwide. Authorities stressed, however, that the indictment is an allegation, and Adepoju is presumed innocent until proven guilty.