Two Nigerian nationals have been extradited to the United States to face federal charges over alleged sextortion schemes targeting minors, including cases connected to the deaths of two young victims in Mississippi and North Carolina.
Adebola Festus Adekunle, 26, and Mudasiru Afeez Olawale, 24, were extradited on Thursday after spending several years in Nigeria following their arrests in August 2023. The arrests were part of Operation Artemis, an international law enforcement effort focused on sextortion networks operating from Nigeria and targeting minors in the US.
Sextortion involves using intimate images or videos to blackmail a victim. Criminals may obtain the material through manipulation, coercion, or unauthorized access to online accounts before threatening to distribute it unless the victim complies with their demands. Young people have become frequent targets of these schemes.
US authorities have filed multiple charges against the two defendants. Adekunle is accused of sexual exploitation of a minor resulting in death, production of child sexual abuse material, coercion and enticement of a minor, and making interstate threats with the intent to extort.
Olawale faces charges involving the sexual exploitation of minors, coercion and enticement, and distribution of child sexual abuse material, among other alleged offenses.
If convicted, the defendants could face life imprisonment. Some of the charges also carry mandatory minimum sentences, including a minimum of 30 years for the child exploitation resulting in death charge.
FBI Director Kash Patel said the extraditions demonstrate that US authorities will pursue suspects accused of targeting vulnerable victims even when those individuals are located overseas.
The case comes amid continued warnings about online sextortion targeting both children and adults. Earlier in August, the FBI warned that criminals were compromising social media accounts in an effort to obtain sexually explicit photographs and videos that could subsequently be used for blackmail.
Federal authorities have been warning about the growing threat for years. The FBI reported a significant increase in sextortion complaints as early as 2021 and has repeatedly advised victims not to continue communicating with offenders after receiving threats. Victims are instead encouraged to preserve relevant evidence and report the situation to law enforcement.
Other recent prosecutions demonstrate the severe penalties associated with these crimes. In May, a Canadian man received a 33-year prison sentence after targeting more than 145 children in the United States during an eight-year sextortion operation.
Adekunle and Olawale are now in US custody, where the allegations against them will proceed through the federal court system. The charges remain accusations, and both defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty.