US Extradites Two Nigerians Over Sextortion Cases Linked to Teen Deaths

The United States has extradited two Nigerian men to face federal prosecution over separate alleged sextortion schemes targeting minors, including cases linked to the deaths of teenage victims.

The United States Department of Justice (DOJ) identified the suspects as Adebola Festus Adekunle, 26, of Lagos, and Mudasiru Afeez Olawale, 24.

The two men were extradited from Nigeria to the United States on August 27, 2026, following their arrests in Nigeria in 2023 as part of an international operation targeting financially motivated sextortion networks.

According to the DOJ, the cases are being prosecuted separately in the Northern District of Mississippi and the Middle District of North Carolina.

The allegations involve schemes in which minors were allegedly sexually exploited and threatened with the release of intimate images unless they provided money.

Adekunle Faces Life Imprisonment

Adekunle was extradited to Mississippi to face charges arising from the alleged sextortion of a minor whose death prosecutors linked to the scheme.

The 26-year-old faces charges including sexual exploitation of a minor resulting in death, coercion and enticement of a minor, and interstate threats with intent to extort.

The U.S. Justice Department said the sexual exploitation resulting in death charge carries a mandatory minimum sentence of 30 years in prison, while Adekunle faces a maximum sentence of life imprisonment if convicted.

He was arrested in Nigeria on August 14, 2023, as part of a wider FBI operation targeting individuals accused of sexually extorting minors in the United States.

Adekunle appeared in federal court in Oxford, Mississippi, following his extradition.

Olawale Faces Separate Charges

Olawale, 24, was extradited to North Carolina to face charges relating to the alleged sextortion of two minors, including a case involving the death of one of the victims.

He was indicted in August 2023 on charges involving sexual exploitation of minors, coercion and enticement, interstate threatening communications and distribution of child sexual abuse material.

Like Adekunle, Olawale faces a maximum sentence of life imprisonment and mandatory minimum prison terms on some of the charges if convicted.

Olawale was arrested in Nigeria on August 9, 2023, during the same wider law-enforcement operation.

FBI Links Cases to Operation Artemis

The DOJ said the two prosecutions arose from Operation Artemis, an FBI-led effort targeting financially motivated sextortion networks operating from Nigeria.

According to U.S. authorities, the operation involved cooperation between American and international law-enforcement agencies to identify perpetrators targeting minors.

U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche said the United States had strengthened international partnerships to dismantle criminal networks involved in financially motivated sextortion and protect children from sexual exploitation.

FBI Director Kash Patel described the two men as high-value targets who had been outside the United States for about three years before being brought back to face prosecution.

Nigeria Assisted Extradition

The extradition involved cooperation between U.S. and Nigerian authorities.

The DOJ specifically acknowledged the assistance of Nigeria’s Attorney General and Minister of Justice, the Federal Ministry of Justice’s International Criminal Justice Cooperation Department and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

The EFCC had earlier announced that its Lagos Zonal Directorate 2 facilitated the extradition of the two men following separate FBI investigations.

The FBI said the cases demonstrate its determination to pursue individuals accused of exploiting vulnerable minors, regardless of where they operate.

The U.S. authorities said the broader campaign against sextortion would continue to target foreign criminal networks involved in the exploitation of children.

The charges against Adekunle and Olawale remain allegations. Both defendants are presumed innocent unless and until they are proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in court.