Two Nigerian men have been extradited to the United States to face federal charges over separate financially motivated sextortion cases involving American teenagers who later died by suicide. The U.S. Department of Justice identified the men as 26-year-old Adebola Festus Adekunle of Lagos and 24-year-old Mudasiru Afeez Olawale. Both men were arrested in Nigeria in August 2023 during an FBI operation targeting sextortion networks operating from Nigeria. They were extradited to the United States on August 27, 2026, with assistance from U.S. and Nigerian law enforcement agencies.
Adekunle has been charged in Mississippi in connection with the financially motivated sextortion of a minor, which prosecutors say resulted in the victim’s death. The charges include sexual exploitation of a minor resulting in death, coercion and enticement of a minor, production of child sexual abuse material, and interstate threats with intent to extort. Adekunle appeared in federal court in Oxford, Mississippi, on August 28. Prosecutors say the charge involving the death of a minor carries a mandatory minimum sentence of 30 years in prison and a maximum penalty of life imprisonment if he is convicted.
Olawale is facing charges in North Carolina linked to the financially motivated sextortion of two minor victims, including a case involving the death of a teenager. His indictment includes allegations involving sexual exploitation of minors resulting in death, coercion and enticement, interstate threatening communications, and distribution of child sexual abuse material. He was arrested in Nigeria on August 9, 2023, and appeared before a federal magistrate judge in Greensboro after arriving in the United States. Like Adekunle, Olawale faces a possible life sentence, while the charge involving a minor’s death carries a mandatory minimum sentence of 30 years if he is convicted.
According to Nigerian authorities, the alleged schemes targeted male minors, particularly boys between the ages of 13 and 17. Investigators said child sexual abuse material was allegedly used to threaten victims and demand money through methods including money remitters, gift cards, and cryptocurrency. The FBI linked the two men to separate cases involving American minors who died by suicide after being subjected to online sexual exploitation and extortion. The cases were part of Operation Artemis, an international effort focused on identifying and dismantling financially motivated sextortion networks operating from Nigeria and targeting young people in the United States.
The extradition involved cooperation between several agencies in both countries. The U.S. Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs, FBI personnel in Nigeria and the United States, and Nigerian security authorities worked together to bring the two suspects into U.S. custody. Nigerian authorities specifically highlighted the involvement of 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. U.S. officials said the operation reflects a broader effort to pursue people involved in foreign sextortion networks, regardless of where those networks operate.
The U.S. Justice Department said financially motivated sextortion can cause serious and lasting harm to victims and their families. Authorities have linked such schemes to dozens of American teen deaths by suicide and are continuing efforts to identify other perpetrators. However, the allegations against Adekunle and Olawale have not been proven in court. Both defendants are presumed innocent unless and until they are found guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. Their extradition marks the latest step in investigations that began with their arrests in Nigeria three years ago and now bring the cases before U.S. federal courts.
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