FBI seeks EFCC’s assistance to arrest two Nigerians for $13m healthcare fraud

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has formally requested the assistance of Nigeria’s Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) in tracking down and arresting two Nigerian nationals, Babatunde Shodiya (43) and Yinka Jamiu (31).

The duo are wanted in the United States for allegedly defrauding American healthcare providers of $13 million through a business email compromise scheme.

According to People’s Gazette, Shodiya and Jamiu were indicted by a grand jury in the U.S. District Court for Minnesota on September 25 for their involvement in a scheme targeting healthcare companies between October 2020 and 2024.

The indictment accuses them of using a fake website to deceive Minnesota-based healthcare firms into redirecting payments to fraudulent accounts controlled by the suspects.

U.S. Attorney Andrew Luger, who is prosecuting the case, explained that the two men manipulated employees of several healthcare providers, successfully diverting millions of dollars.

“As part of the scheme, Babatunde and Ahmed created a fake ‘spoofed’ internet domain designed to appear as though it was controlled by Fairview Health,” Luger said.

He further elaborated, “Unbeknownst to the vendor companies, the new accounts were actually controlled by Babatunde and Ahmed and their co-conspirators, not Fairview Health. In total, Babatunde and Ahmed fraudulently directed more than $13 million in payments intended for Fairview Health from Minnesota-based healthcare companies to accounts controlled by them.”

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The U.S. authorities confirmed that both suspects are Nigerian citizens currently residing in Nigeria. Sources familiar with the investigation revealed that American officials have communicated their concerns to the EFCC. An EFCC officer, speaking anonymously to People’s Gazette due to the sensitivity of the case, confirmed this, stating, “The U.S. officials reached out to us and informed us that the suspects are believed to be hiding in Nigeria.”

The EFCC source added, “We have a duty to honour this request in line with our long-standing collaboration with the U.S. in addressing cross-border crimes.”

Shodiya and Jamiu allegedly exploited Optum Pay, a widely used payment system among Minnesota health service providers, by creating a counterfeit domain, fairviewhospitals.org, to impersonate key officials within the Fairview Health network. The fraudulent site was used to create fake email accounts of the hospital’s executives, including the CEO, executive vice president, and a business analyst, through which phishing emails were sent to Fairview Health employees. These emails tricked employees into providing login credentials, enabling the pair to manipulate payment transfers.

For his role in impersonating Fairview executives, Shodiya faces additional charges of aggravated identity theft alongside the wire fraud charges. The U.S. has expressed confidence in Nigeria’s EFCC in helping to bring the suspects to justice.