FBI Seeks EFCC’s Help to Capture Two Nigerians Linked to $13 Million Healthcare Fraud

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has formally requested assistance from Nigeria’s Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) in locating and apprehending two Nigerian nationals, Babatunde Shodiya (43) and Yinka Jamiu (31). The pair have been indicted for their alleged involvement in a fraudulent scheme that defrauded American healthcare providers of $13 million.

The indictment, issued by a grand jury in the U.S. District Court for Minnesota on September 25, accuses Shodiya and Jamiu of orchestrating a sophisticated business email compromise scheme targeting healthcare companies between October 2020 and 2024.

U.S. Attorney Andrew Luger revealed that the suspects manipulated employees at various Minnesota-based healthcare firms, tricking them into rerouting payments to fraudulent accounts. Luger stated, “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.”

He further explained, “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 Babatunde, Ahmed, and their co-conspirators.”

U.S. authorities have confirmed that Shodiya and Jamiu, both Nigerian citizens, are currently residing in Nigeria. Sources familiar with the investigation reported that American officials have communicated their concerns to the EFCC. An EFCC officer, speaking on condition of anonymity due to the sensitive nature of the case, stated, “The U.S. officials reached out to us and informed us that the suspects are believed to be hiding in Nigeria. We have a duty to honor this request in line with our long-standing collaboration with the U.S. in addressing cross-border crimes.”

The suspects reportedly exploited Optum Pay, a popular payment system among healthcare providers in Minnesota, by creating a counterfeit domain, fairviewhospitals.org. Through this fake website, they impersonated key officials within the hospital network, including the CEO and executive vice president, by setting up fraudulent email accounts.

Using these deceptive email addresses, Shodiya and Jamiu sent phishing emails to Fairview Health employees, tricking them into divulging login credentials. For his role in impersonating Fairview’s executives, Shodiya faces an additional charge of aggravated identity theft, alongside wire fraud charges.