Nigerian Fugitive Arrested While Trying to Re-enter US After 7 Years on the Run, Name Released
- Adetunji Abudu fled the US in 2019 after FBI Boston searched his Rhode Island home in connection with a fraud and money laundering case
- Abudu is one of six defendants charged with laundering millions of dollars obtained through fraud schemes that targeted elderly Americans
- The FBI confirmed Abudu was arrested after he attempted to re-enter the US from Istanbul, Turkey
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A Nigerian man who escaped the United States seven years ago has been arrested after attempting to travel back into the country from Turkey.
The FBI announced on October 26, 2026, that Adetunji Abudu, from Lagos, Nigeria, was taken into custody after he tried to re-enter the US from Istanbul.
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Abudu had originally fled in 2019 following a court-authorised search of his home in North Providence, Rhode Island, carried out by FBI Boston.
Abudu charged with laundering fraud proceeds
Abudu is among six people charged in connection with a scheme involving the laundering of millions of dollars. According to the FBI, the money was obtained through fraud operations run from Nigeria, with elderly American residents as the primary targets.
The FBI described his arrest as the result of his own attempt to return to the country he had fled. "Fugitive Adetunji Abudu, of Lagos, Nigeria, who fled the U.S. in 2019 after FBI Boston executed a court authorized search of his residence in North Providence, RI, is now in custody after he attempted to re-enter the U.S. from Istanbul, Turkey," the bureau said.
"He's one of six defendants charged with laundering millions of dollars obtained through fraud schemes operated from Nigeria that primarily targeted elderly U.S. residents."
How the arrest unfolded
Abudu had remained outside US jurisdiction for years before his capture. His decision to travel back through Istanbul ultimately gave authorities the opportunity to detain him.
No further details about the other five defendants in the case were immediately disclosed by the FBI at the time of the announcement.
See the X post below:
US FBI arrests 9 wanted Nigerians in major operation
Legit.ng earlier reported that the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation has announced the arrest of nine individuals connected to scam centres operating within Nigeria, in a move that signals growing international pressure on cross-border fraud networks.
Source: Legit.ng
