The government of Britain has arrested a Nigerian man living in the UK, known as Farouk Adekunle Adepoju, who stole N365 million, after the US government requested it.
Mr Adepoju is said to be facing charges of wire fraud and computer fraud. Prosecutors say that he hacked into the email system of a Pennsylvania construction company that was working for a university and redirected payments that were supposed to go to the company.
The US Department of Justice (DOJ) said in a statement on Thursday, September 18, that Adepoju was arrested on September 15, 2025, and is now waiting to be extradicted to the United States to face a seven-count indictment in the Western District of Pennsylvania.
The indictment, which was made public the same day, said that Adepoju had accessed a protected computer from a distance between March and April 2023. He is accused of changing the rules for email, making a fake domain, and giving the university fake instructions that led them to move about $235,266 (₦365 million) into an account he controlled.
Authorities have confirmed that they have not found the stolen money. Troy Rivetti, the acting US Attorney, said that the matter showed how cross-border law enforcement can work against cybercrime.
According to Rivetti, “Adepoju is accused of using advanced cyber tools to break into a business’s accounts and steal money from one of our region’s universities.” He further stated that “his arrest in the UK shows how committed we are to going after cybercriminals all over the world.”
The Pittsburgh Field Office of the FBI led the investigation. Kevin Rojek, the special agent in charge, said that cybercriminals shouldn’t think they can’t be caught. He said, “criminals who think they can reach across the globe into the United States to line their pockets at the expense of the American public need to know one thing: the FBI and our partners are not going to let you get away with it.”
Adepoju is charged with six counts of wire fraud, each of which could send him to prison for up to 20 years. In addition, he faces one count of computer fraud, which carries a maximum five-year prison sentence. Authorities emphasized that an indictment constitutes merely an accusation, and Adepoju is deemed innocent until proven guilty.
