The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has extradited Mudashiru Afeez Olawale and Adebola Festus Adekunle to the United States of America to face prosecution for allegedly sexually extorting two teenage boys in the U.S., resulting in their deaths.
In a statement on Friday, the commission said Messrs Olawale and Adekunle had been identified in separate investigations by the Federal Bureau of Investigation in sextortion schemes targeting male minors, particularly those between the ages of 13 and 17, leading to the deaths of two minors.
According to the anti-graft agency, the schemes involved the use of child sexual abuse material to extort victims for money through various means, including money remitters, gift cards and cryptocurrency.
“The FBI investigations linked the activities of the alleged perpetrators to two separate cases involving American minors, who died by suicide after being subjected to online sexual exploitation and extortion.
“In one of the cases, a 13-year-old male victim received a direct message on Instagram from a subject who suggested an exchange of nude photographs. Investigations by the FBI revealed that the subject subsequently threatened to disseminate the minor’s photographs to his Instagram contacts and demanded money from him,” the EFCC stated.
According to the commission, it was further revealed that communications reportedly continued despite the minor indicating that he intended to take his own life.
The commission added, “FBI subsequently developed actionable intelligence identifying individuals allegedly involved in the scheme and requested the assistance of the EFCC in identifying, investigating and prosecuting the perpetrators under applicable Nigerian laws.”
The EFCC noted that following its investigations, Mr Adekunle was arrested and brought before the commission.
It added that the FBI also sought the extradition of Mr Olawale over a seven-count charge, including “sexual exploitation and attempted sexual exploitation of a minor resulting in death, enticement and attempted enticement of a minor to engage in sexual activity, interstate threatening communications, sexual exploitation and attempted sexual exploitation of a minor, and distribution and attempted distribution of child pornography.”
The anti-graft agency added that the extradition of Messrs Olawale and Adekunle underscored the continued collaboration between it and the FBI in tackling transnational financial crimes, particularly internet-enabled crimes involving the exploitation of minors and sextortion.