A Nigerian man living in the United Kingdom, Farouk Adekunle Adepoju, has been arrested by British authorities following a request from the United States government. His arrest comes after he was indicted on charges of wire fraud and computer fraud linked to a sophisticated cyberattack.
According to U.S. prosecutors, Adepoju allegedly hacked into the email system of a Pennsylvania-based construction company contracted to work for a university. Once inside, he reportedly created fake accounts to impersonate company staff and trick the university into sending payments to a fraudulent account.
The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), in a statement released on Thursday, said Adepoju was arrested in the U.K. on September 15, 2025, and is awaiting extradition to face a seven-count indictment in the Western District of Pennsylvania.
Court documents revealed that between March and April 2023, Adepoju remotely accessed the company’s protected computer network, altered email rules, and registered a spoofed domain. He then used this to send fraudulent payment instructions. Falling for the scheme, the university updated the construction firm’s payment details and transferred $235,266 (₦363 million) into an account allegedly controlled by Adepoju. The funds have not been recovered.
Acting U.S. Attorney, Troy Rivetti, said:
> “Adepoju is charged with using sophisticated cyber means to illegally access accounts belonging to a business in order to victimize one of our region’s universities. Even from halfway across the world, however, Adepoju was not beyond the investigative reach of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.”
He emphasized that the arrest highlights the DOJ’s commitment to prosecuting cybercriminals globally with the help of international law enforcement partners.
Similarly, FBI Pittsburgh Special Agent in Charge, Kevin Rojek, warned that cybercriminals should not feel untouchable simply because they operate across borders:
> “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 know one thing: the FBI and our partners are not going to let you get away with it.”
Adepoju now faces extradition proceedings, and if convicted, he could face significant prison time under U.S. federal law.
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