Farouk Adekunle Adepoju, a Nigerian national residing in the United Kingdom, has been arrested in connection with a transatlantic cybercrime case involving wire fraud and computer fraud.

The arrest followed a formal extradition request from the United States, where authorities allege Adepoju orchestrated a sophisticated scheme targeting a university in Western Pennsylvania. Here are the key developments surrounding the case.

U.K. authorities arrested Farouk Adekunle Adepoju on 15 September 2025, acting on a request from the United States government. The arrest was announced by Acting U.S. Attorney Troy Rivetti, who confirmed that Adepoju is currently awaiting extradition to face charges in the Western District of Pennsylvania.

According to the unsealed indictment, Adepoju allegedly hacked into a computer belonging to a construction company contracted by a university in Western Pennsylvania.

The cyber intrusion reportedly occurred between March and April 2023. Prosecutors claim Adepoju manipulated email rules and created a spoofed email account to deceive the university into transferring approximately $235,266.80 to a fraudulent bank account. The stolen funds have not been recovered.

Acting U.S. Attorney Troy Rivetti stated, “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.”

Rivetti emphasised that geographical distance did not hinder the investigation, adding, “Even from halfway across the world, however, Adepoju was not beyond the investigative reach of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.”

FBI Pittsburgh Special Agent in Charge Kevin Rojek issued a stern warning to international cybercriminals.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the principal investigative arm of the U.S. Department of Justice and a key member of the U.S. Intelligence Community. It operates as a domestic security agency, tackling federal crimes including cybercrime, terrorism, organised crime, and public corruption.

With 56 field offices across the United States and legal attaché offices in U.S. embassies worldwide, the FBI combines law enforcement authority with intelligence-gathering capabilities.

Its mission is to protect and defend the United States against threats, uphold and enforce federal laws, and provide leadership and criminal justice services to federal, state, and international partners.