Two Nigerians extradited to US over sextortion allegations

Two Nigerian men have been extradited to the United States to face federal prosecution over separate alleged sextortion schemes targeting teenage boys, including a case that prosecutors say resulted in the death of a Mississippi teenager.

The suspects, Mudashiru Afeez Olawale and Adebola Festus Adekunle, were transferred from Nigeria to U.S. authorities following investigations led by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission said its Lagos Zonal Directorate 2 facilitated the extradition, while U.S. authorities confirmed that both men were taken into American custody on August 27, 2026.

The FBI had identified the two Nigerians in separate investigations into financially motivated sextortion schemes involving male minors, particularly teenagers between 13 and 17 years old.

According to the EFCC, the alleged schemes involved the use of child sexual abuse material to threaten victims and demand money through channels including gift cards, money-transfer services and cryptocurrency.

“The schemes involved the use of Child Sexual Abuse Material, CSAM, to extort victims for money through various means, including money remitters, gift cards and cryptocurrency.”

13-year-old allegedly threatened over Instagram

One of the cases involved a 13-year-old American boy who was allegedly contacted through Instagram by someone proposing an exchange of nude photographs.

Investigators said the suspect subsequently threatened to distribute the boy's photographs to his Instagram contacts unless he paid money.

The alleged threats continued even after the teenager indicated that he was contemplating taking his own life, according to the EFCC's account of the FBI investigation.

The FBI subsequently developed intelligence identifying individuals allegedly connected to the scheme and sought assistance from Nigerian authorities to locate and investigate them.

Adekunle was arrested in Nigeria in August 2023 as part of the joint investigation.

U.S. prosecutors now allege that the Mississippi case involved financially motivated sextortion that contributed to the death of a minor. The federal indictment against Adekunle includes charges of 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.

Adekunle, 26, appeared before a federal court in Oxford, Mississippi, on August 28.

If convicted of the charge involving sexual exploitation resulting in death, he faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 30 years, while the maximum penalty can reach life imprisonment.

Olawale's extradition followed legal battle in Nigeria

Olawale's case took a different route before his eventual transfer to the United States.

The EFCC said the FBI sought his extradition over allegations including sexual exploitation and attempted exploitation of a minor resulting in death, enticement of a minor to engage in sexual activity, threatening communications and distribution of child sexual abuse material.

His extradition initially hit a legal obstacle when the Federal High Court in Lagos rejected the application in June 2024.

The Attorney-General of the Federation subsequently appealed, and on July 7, 2026, the Court of Appeal in Lagos overturned the earlier decision, clearing the way for his extradition.

Olawale was ultimately transferred to U.S. authorities alongside Adekunle.

FBI calls suspects ‘high-value targets’

FBI Director Kash Patel described the two Nigerians as “high-value targets”, saying the agency had brought them back to the United States to face justice over alleged sextortion crimes against minors.

“This FBI has brought back two high-value targets from Nigeria to the United States to face justice for alleged sextortion crimes targeting minors,” Patel said.

He added that the charges included sexual exploitation of minors, coercion and enticement, extortion, and the distribution and production of child sexual abuse material.

The FBI has characterised the cases as part of its wider effort to pursue financially motivated sextortion networks operating across international borders.

The extraditions underscore the increasingly international nature of online child exploitation, with suspects operating from one country while targeting victims thousands of kilometres away.

The U.S. Justice Department credited Nigerian authorities — including the EFCC, the Attorney-General of the Federation and the Federal Ministry of Justice's International Criminal Justice Cooperation Department — with helping secure the transfer of the two suspects.

The cases also demonstrate how investigations into online crimes can continue for years before suspects are ultimately brought before the courts.

Both men were arrested in Nigeria in 2023, but their transfer to the United States only took place three years later following the completion of the necessary legal and extradition processes.

The allegations are serious, but they remain allegations. The U.S. Justice Department has stressed that the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.