By Pascal Ibe
Claim
An X user, @AsakyGRN shared a video and claimed that the FBI now has permission to arrest fraudsters in Nigeria and extradite them to the US.
Verdict
This claim is MISLEADING. Part of the video attached to the claim shows a recent operation by the FBI in collaboration with the EFCC as part of “Operation Artemis,” a global operation targeting financially motivated sextortion schemes. However, there’s no other new law mandating the FBI to arrest Nigerian fraudsters without a valid court order or permission from the Nigerian government.
Full Text
An X user, @AsakyGRN, has claimed that the United States’s Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) now has permission to arrest fraudsters in Nigeria and extradite them to the US.
In a post, the X attached a video to the claim that reads, “FBI agents are now in Nigeria to burst Yahoo boys— they have the permission to extradite Nigeria citizen. Wow 🥴😳
The post on the X platform has already generated over 360k views and more than a thousand likes and reposts.
The FBI
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic intelligence and security service of the United States and its principal federal law enforcement agency. An agency of the United States Department of Justice, the FBI is a member of the U.S. Intelligence Community and reports to both the attorney general and the director of national intelligence.
Verification
Part of the video attached to the claim shows a recent operation by the FBI in collaboration with the EFCC as part of “Operation Artemis,” a global operation targeting financially motivated sextortion schemes that led to the arrest of twenty-two Nigerians.
The resurgence of “Operation Artemis” marks a significant escalation in the global fight against a particularly insidious and devastating form of online crime: financially motivated sextortion targeting minors. This iteration of the operation, spearheaded by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in close collaboration with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) in Nigeria, underscores the transnational nature of this threat and the critical need for international cooperation to effectively combat it.
Aside from this operation which is collaborative with the anti-graft agency in Nigeria, there’s no other new law mandating the FBI to arrest Nigerian fraudsters without a valid court order or permission from the Nigerian government.
A check on the FBI’s website indicated that several U.S. federal laws give the FBI authority to investigate extraterritorial criminal and terrorist activity. The FBI, however, conducts investigations abroad only when invited by the host country. In most cases, its international partners gather evidence and make arrests on behalf of, or in close cooperation with, the Bureau.
Each legat is established through mutual agreement with the host country and is located in that nation’s U.S. embassy or consulate. FBI personnel abroad serve under the authority of the Department of State, chief of mission at U.S. embassies, at the pleasure of ambassadors and host country governments.
International liaison and information sharing are conducted in accordance with executive orders, laws, treaties, attorney general guidelines, FBI policies, and interagency agreements
Conclusion
The FBI is temporarily in Nigeria to carry out the Artemis operation targeting financially motivated sextortion schemes. Aside from this, the US agency has no permission to arrest and extradite Nigerian fraudsters to the United States.
