Two Nigerian men have been extradited to the United States to face federal charges over alleged financially motivated sextortion schemes targeting minors, including cases linked to the deaths of American teenagers.
The US Department of Justice said Adebola Festus Adekunle, 26, of Lagos, and Mudasiru Afeez Olawale, 24, were extradited from Nigeria on August 27 following their arrests in the country in August 2023.
US Attorney General Todd Blanche said the arrests were part of a wider operation involving the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) to identify and prosecute individuals targeting minors through financially motivated sextortion.
“The Department of Justice and this Administration have demonstrated an unwavering commitment to protecting America’s children from exploitation and sexual abuse,” Blanche said.
He added that the US had strengthened international law-enforcement partnerships to dismantle foreign criminal networks involved in sextortion and pursue perpetrators allegedly linked to the deaths of American teenagers by suicide.
FBI Director Kash Patel said Adekunle and Olawale had been arrested in Nigeria three years ago and were now in US custody to face prosecution.
“Sextortion is a heinous crime targeting innocent people, often young children – and this FBI will stop at nothing to pursue every single individual who harms vulnerable Americans,” Patel said.
Adekunle faces Mississippi prosecution
Adekunle was extradited to face charges in the Northern District of Mississippi over the alleged sextortion of a minor, which prosecutors say resulted in the victim’s death.
He is charged with sexual exploitation of a minor resulting in death, coercion and enticement of a minor, and interstate threats with intent to extort.
Adekunle appeared before a federal court in Oxford, Mississippi, on Tuesday for his initial appearance.
According to the Justice Department, he was arrested in Nigeria on August 14, 2023, during the joint operation targeting alleged sextortionists operating against minors in the United States.
If convicted, Adekunle could face a maximum sentence of life imprisonment, with at least two of the charges carrying mandatory minimum prison terms. The charge involving sexual exploitation of a minor resulting in death carries a minimum sentence of 30 years.
The investigation is being handled by the FBI Jackson Field Office, the FBI’s Violent Crimes Against Children Section and International Operations Division, alongside the Lowndes County Sheriff’s Office.
Olawale charged in North Carolina case
Olawale was extradited to face charges in the Middle District of North Carolina relating to the alleged sextortion of two minors, including a case involving the death of one victim.
He was indicted in August 2023 on charges including sexual exploitation of minors resulting in death, coercion and enticement of minors, interstate threatening communications and distribution of child pornography.
Olawale appeared in federal court in Greensboro, North Carolina, on Tuesday before US Magistrate Judge L. Patrick Auld.
He was arrested in Nigeria on August 9, 2023, as part of the same broader operation targeting individuals accused of sexually extorting minors in the US.
Like Adekunle, Olawale faces a potential maximum sentence of life imprisonment, while the sexual exploitation resulting in death charge carries a minimum sentence of 30 years.
The investigation is being conducted by the FBI Charlotte’s Greensboro Resident Agency and the Surry County Sheriff’s Office.
US Attorney for the Middle District of North Carolina, Dan Bishop, said authorities remained committed to pursuing justice for victims of sextortion.
“Today’s announcement makes clear that we will not rest in our pursuit of justice for victims of sextortion,” Bishop said, noting that the extradition came nearly three years after the indictment and almost five years after the alleged conduct.
The extradition was carried out with assistance from the Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs, the FBI Legal Attaché in Abuja and FBI personnel from the Jackson and Greensboro offices.
The US authorities also acknowledged the role of Nigerian agencies, including the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, the Federal Ministry of Justice’s International Criminal Justice Cooperation Department and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.
Both defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in court.
