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
- Adebola Festus Adekunle, 26, and Mudasiru Afeez Olawale, 24, were extradited to the United States on Thursday to face federal sextortion charges.
- Prosecutors link the pair to blackmail schemes that led to the suicides of two teenagers in Mississippi and North Carolina.
- Both were arrested in Nigeria in August 2023 under Operation Artemis, a joint international effort targeting Nigerian sextortion rings.
- Child exploitation resulting in death carries a mandatory minimum of 30 years and a maximum of life in prison.
- The FBI warned this month that criminals are actively stealing intimate images from hacked social media accounts 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 in August 2023 as part of Operation Artemis, a joint law enforcement push aimed at Nigerian gangs targeting American children with sexual blackmail. We first covered the operation on 31 August 2026.
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 hack an account to steal them, then threaten to send the material to the victim's contacts unless they pay or send more.
The money is only part of it. Criminals often resell images on underground forums, or hand the victim's name and contact details to other blackmailers who pile on with fresh threats. For a teenager, that pressure can be relentless, hour after hour. That's 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 child exploitation resulting in death charge carries a mandatory minimum of 30 years, and both men also face mandatory minimums on at least one additional count.
| 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, calling sextortion a heinous crime that often targets young children.
Is this a growing problem?
Yes, and enforcement has been sounding the alarm for years. The FBI flagged a sharp jump in sextortion complaints back in September 2021. This month it warned again that criminals are hunting social media accounts belonging to children and adults to steal explicit content for blackmail. Our 12 August story covered that warning in detail.
Courts are handing down long sentences. 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. We've now reported 14 sextortion cases in the past 90 days alone, and the sentencing numbers keep climbing: a UK member of The Com received two years last month after pleading guilty to offences against nearly 120 victims worldwide.
Should you worry?
If a threat arrives, don't pay and stop replying. Screenshot everything, then block the account and report it to the platform and to the FBI's tip line at tips.fbi.gov. Paying almost never ends demands; it just proves the target will pay.
The criminals rely on shame and speed. Slowing down and telling one trusted adult breaks the whole model.
