Nigerian convicted of larceny, money laundering arrested in US

Oludemilade. Photo: X/DHS

A Nigerian, Rapheal Oludemilade Adebowale, has been arrested by the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement during an enforcement operation targeting undocumented migrants, the US Department of Homeland Security has said.

The department disclosed this in a post on its official X account on Tuesday, identifying Adebowale as one of three foreign nationals arrested during the operation.

According to the department, Adebowale was arrested in Bridgewater, Massachusetts, and had previously been convicted of larceny and money laundering.

The department described him as a “criminal illegal alien from Nigeria,” but did not provide further details about his immigration status, the circumstances of his arrest or the convictions.

It listed Adebowale alongside a Pakistani national, Jawwad Ali Ahmed, and a Brazilian national, Alexandre Esdras Pandolfi-Soares, who were also arrested during the operation.

The department said Ahmed had been convicted of what it described as “lewd or lascivious acts with a child under 14 years old” in Sacramento, California.

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It added that Pandolfi-Soares had been convicted of what it described as “forcible sexual abuse” in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Describing the arrests, the department said, “Yesterday, @ICEgov arrested more pedophiles, sexual predators, drug traffickers, and other dangerous criminals.”

The department added, “President Trump has made it clear: Illegal aliens are NOT welcome in our nation.”

It did not disclose the sentences imposed on Adebowale in connection with the larceny and money laundering convictions or provide details of any ongoing court proceedings.

PUNCH Metro reported on Sunday that the US Department of Justice had announced charges against three Nigerians and 13 other foreign nationals over alleged illegal voting, false claims of US citizenship and related election offences.

The Nigerians were identified as Gladys Adaeze Okafor, 56, Helen Sayen Adams, 67, and Joshua Nmelichukwu Akpom, 27.