A Federal High Court in Lagos has ordered the remand of a Nigerian, Lawrence Folawunmi, following a request by the Attorney General of the Federation to pave the way for his extradition to the United States over alleged cyber fraud amounting to about $1.24 million.
Justice Akintayo Aluko granted the application on Tuesday after a lawyer from the AGF’s office moved a motion under the Extradition Act, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria 2004. The court ordered that Folawunmi be held in the custody of the Nigerian Correctional Service pending the determination of the extradition proceedings.
Folawunmi is wanted by United States authorities over allegations of email compromise, wire fraud, and aiding and abetting wire fraud. He was arrested in Lagos by operatives of the Interpol Unit, Force Criminal Investigation Department, Alagbon Ikoyi, acting on the directive of the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun.
Court documents revealed that Folawunmi is named in a criminal indictment filed on November 15, 2021, by a grand jury sitting at the United States District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee, Nashville Division. The indictment accuses him of fraudulently inducing a firm to alter its payment details in at least eight transactions, resulting in the unlawful transfer of approximately $1.24 million.
While urging the court to grant the remand order, counsel from the AGF’s office said the application was necessary to secure the defendant’s custody pending the hearing and determination of the extradition request.
Folawunmi’s lawyer, W. Liadi, did not oppose the remand application but sought a short adjournment to enable the defence respond formally to the extradition suit.
In his ruling, Justice Aluko held that the application had merit and ordered Folawunmi’s remand, adjourning the matter to January 21, 2025, for the hearing of the extradition proceedings.
An affidavit filed by the Federal Government stated that the United States had formally requested Folawunmi’s arrest and extradition, supported by all required legal documents. The AGF assured the court that Folawunmi would not be tried or detained for offences outside those listed in the request and that the allegations were not political or discriminatory in nature.
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The Federal Government further maintained that no criminal proceedings are pending against Folawunmi in Nigeria in relation to the alleged offences and that extraditing him would not be unjust, oppressive, or excessive.
With the court’s order, the case now moves into a decisive phase as Nigerian authorities weigh the legal and diplomatic implications of surrendering Folawunmi to face trial in the United States.
