Two Nigerian men extradited to US over sextortion scams linked to teen suicides
Adebola Festus Adekunle and Mudasiru Afeez Olawale face life sentences after a joint operation tied them to blackmail schemes that ended in the deaths of two American minors.
Key points
- Two Nigerian nationals, Adebola Festus Adekunle, 26, and Mudasiru Afeez Olawale, 24, were extradited to the United States on Thursday to face sextortion charges.
- Prosecutors link the pair to blackmail schemes that led to the deaths of two teenagers in Mississippi and North Carolina.
- Both men were arrested in Nigeria in August 2023 under Operation Artemis, a joint international effort targeting Nigerian sextortion rings.
- The most serious charge, child exploitation resulting in death, carries a minimum of 30 years and a maximum of life in prison.
- The FBI warned earlier this month that criminals are actively hunting social media accounts to steal intimate images for blackmail.
Two men from Nigeria have been flown to the United States to face charges over online blackmail schemes that US prosecutors say drove two American teenagers to take their own lives.
Adebola Festus Adekunle, 26, and Mudasiru Afeez Olawale, 24, were extradited on Thursday, first reported by BleepingComputer. The victims lived in Mississippi and North Carolina.
Both men were arrested in Nigeria back in August 2023. That was part of Operation Artemis, a joint law enforcement push aimed at Nigerian gangs who target American children with sexual blackmail.
What is sextortion, in plain terms?
Sextortion is online blackmail using nude photos or videos. Criminals either trick a victim into sending intimate images, or they hack an account to steal them, then threaten to send the material to the victim's family, school or followers unless they pay or send more.
The money is only part of it. In practice, the criminals often resell the images on underground forums, or pass on the victim's name, phone number and social handles to other blackmailers who pile on with fresh threats. The pressure on a teenager can be relentless, hour after hour.
That pressure is what US prosecutors say pushed two young victims to suicide.
What are the men charged with?
They face a stack of federal child exploitation charges, with life in prison on the table. The charge of child sexual exploitation resulting in death carries a mandatory minimum of 30 years.
| Defendant | Age | Key charges |
|---|---|---|
| Adebola Festus Adekunle | 26 | Sexual exploitation of a minor resulting in death, producing child sexual abuse material, coercion and enticement of a minor, interstate threats to extort |
| Mudasiru Afeez Olawale | 24 | Sexual exploitation of minors, coercion and enticement of minors, distribution of child sexual abuse material |
FBI Director Kash Patel said the two had been overseas for three years before the bureau and Department of Justice partners brought them back. He called sextortion a heinous crime that often targets young children.
Is this a growing problem?
Yes, and law enforcement has been sounding the alarm for years. The FBI flagged a sharp jump in sextortion complaints back in September 2021, and issued a fresh warning this month that criminals are hunting social media accounts belonging to both children and adults to steal explicit content for blackmail.
Courts are handing down long sentences when they catch people. A Canadian man got 33 years in May for targeting more than 145 American children, some as young as six, over an eight-year scheme. A member of the online crime collective known as The Com was sentenced to two years after admitting blackmail and child abuse offences against nearly 120 victims around the world.
What should parents and teenagers actually do?
If a threat arrives, stop replying. Do not pay. Screenshot everything, block the account, and report it to the platform and to local police or the FBI's tip line at tips.fbi.gov. Paying almost never ends the demands, it just proves the target will pay.
One operational takeaway: the criminals rely on shame and speed. Slowing the conversation down and telling one trusted adult breaks the whole model.
