The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has extradited two Nigerian men to the United States to face prosecution over alleged online sexual exploitation and sextortion of two American teenage boys who later died by suicide.
The suspects, Mudashiru Afeez Olawale and Adebola Festus Adekunle, were handed over to US authorities on August 26, 2026, following separate investigations by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) into sextortion schemes targeting male minors, particularly teenagers between the ages of 13 and 17.
According to the EFCC, the alleged schemes involved the use of child sexual abuse material (CSAM) to threaten and extort victims for money through channels including money remitters, gift cards and cryptocurrency.
The FBI linked the activities of the two suspects to separate cases involving American teenagers who died by suicide after allegedly being subjected to online sexual exploitation and extortion.
In one of the cases, investigators said a 13-year-old boy was contacted through Instagram by an individual who proposed exchanging nude photographs. After the boy allegedly sent the images, he was threatened with having them distributed to his Instagram contacts unless he paid money.
The EFCC said communications reportedly continued even after the teenager indicated that he intended to take his own life. FBI investigators subsequently identified individuals allegedly connected to the scheme and sought assistance from Nigerian authorities.
Olawale, 24, was arrested in Nigeria in August 2023 as part of a joint operation involving the FBI and Nigerian authorities. The US Department of Justice said he was indicted in 2023 on charges including sexual exploitation of minors, coercion and enticement of minors, distribution of child pornography and interstate threatening communications.
His extradition followed a lengthy legal process in Nigeria. The Federal High Court in Lagos had rejected an extradition application in June 2024, but the Court of Appeal in Lagos overturned that decision on July 7, 2026, clearing the way for his transfer to the United States.
US authorities said Olawale was eventually extradited and appeared before a federal court in Greensboro, North Carolina, where he is expected to face the charges against him.
The US Department of Justice said the case forms part of Operation Artemis, an FBI-led effort targeting financially motivated sextortion networks operating from Nigeria and other locations.
The FBI has linked such schemes to numerous cases involving American teenagers and warned that financially motivated sextortion can have devastating consequences for victims and their families.
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