Two Nigerian men have been extradited to the United States and charged in connection with sextortion schemes that led to the deaths of two minor victims, one in Mississippi and one in North Carolina. The suspects, 26-year-old Adebola Festus Adekunle and 24-year-old Mudasiru Afeez Olawale, were arrested in Nigeria in August 2023 as part of Operation Artemis, a joint international law enforcement effort targeting sextortion rings operating from Nigeria that prey on minors in the U.S. and abroad. Sextortion is a form of online blackmail where criminals threaten victims with the release of nude images or videos obtained through hacking or coercion.
Both men now face a maximum penalty of life in prison, with mandatory minimum sentences on at least two charges. The child exploitation resulting in death charge carries a mandatory minimum of 30 years in prison. Adekunle is charged with sexual exploitation of a minor resulting in death, production of child sexual abuse material, coercion and enticement of a minor, and interstate threats with intent to extort. Olawale faces charges related to sexual exploitation of minors, coercion and enticement of minors, distribution of child pornography, and additional offenses.
FBI Director Kash Patel said the men had been overseas for three years before the FBI and Department of Justice partners brought them back. Patel described sextortion as a heinous crime targeting innocent people, often young children, and said the FBI will pursue every individual who harms vulnerable Americans. The extraditions come after the FBI earlier this month issued a warning that cybercriminals are targeting children’s and adults’ social media accounts to steal sexually explicit content for blackmail.
The agency previously warned in September 2021 about a massive increase in sextortion complaints, advising victims to contact law enforcement immediately and stop all interaction with the criminals. Those convicted of sextortion face lengthy prison terms, with a Canadian man sentenced in May to 33 years for targeting more than 145 children in the U.S., some as young as 6, in an eight-year scheme. More recently, a member of the online cybercrime collective The Com was sentenced to two years in prison after pleading guilty to blackmail and child sexual abuse offenses against nearly 120 victims worldwide.
The case highlights the ongoing threat of financially motivated sextortion, which often targets American teenagers through social media and gaming platforms. Federal authorities have emphasized that these schemes frequently escalate to threats of physical harm or public humiliation, driving some victims to self-harm or suicide. The extraditions mark a significant step in international cooperation against these crimes, which have surged in recent years.
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