Two Nigerian men have been extradited to the United States to face federal charges over alleged financially motivated sextortion schemes targeting American minors, including cases linked to the deaths of teenagers.

The suspects, Mudashiru Afeez Olawale, 24, and Adebola Festus Adekunle, 26, were extradited from Nigeria on August 27, 2026, following a joint investigation involving the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and other Nigerian authorities.

The development marks the latest escalation in the FBI’s international crackdown on financially motivated sextortion networks allegedly operating from Nigeria and targeting vulnerable young people in the United States.

According to the U.S. Department of Justice, Adekunle was extradited to Mississippi, where he appeared before a federal court in Oxford on August 28. He faces a three-count indictment arising from the alleged sextortion of a Mississippi minor whose death followed the alleged scheme.

Prosecutors allege that Adekunle committed sexual exploitation of a minor resulting in death, produced child sexual abuse material, coerced and enticed a minor, and issued interstate threats with the intention of extorting the victim.

If convicted of the charge involving sexual exploitation resulting in death, Adekunle faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 30 years in prison, according to U.S. prosecutors.

Olawale, meanwhile, was taken to North Carolina, where he appeared in federal court in Greensboro on August 28.

He had been indicted in August 2023 over allegations involving the financially motivated sextortion of two victims and the death of a North Carolina teenager.

The charges against Olawale include sexual exploitation and attempted sexual exploitation of minors, coercion and enticement, distribution of child pornography and interstate threatening communications.

The EFCC said its investigations, conducted in collaboration with the FBI, identified both men in separate sextortion cases involving male minors, particularly teenagers aged between 13 and 17.

The commission said the alleged schemes involved the use of child sexual abuse material to blackmail victims and demand money through channels including money-transfer services, gift cards and cryptocurrency.

The FBI linked the suspects’ alleged activities to two separate cases involving American minors who died by suicide after experiencing online sexual exploitation and extortion.

In one of the cases, the EFCC said a 13-year-old boy was contacted through Instagram by an individual who allegedly proposed an exchange of nude photographs.

The person allegedly obtained the photographs and subsequently threatened to distribute them to the boy’s Instagram contacts unless he paid money.

According to the EFCC, the communication reportedly continued even after the teenager indicated that he intended to take his own life.

The investigation subsequently generated intelligence that enabled U.S. authorities to identify individuals allegedly connected to the scheme, leading the FBI to seek assistance from Nigerian authorities.

Olawale’s extradition also followed a lengthy legal process in Nigeria. The EFCC initiated proceedings at the Federal High Court in Lagos after receiving the U.S. request, but the court rejected the extradition application in June 2024.

The Office of the Attorney-General of the Federation appealed the decision, and on July 7, 2026, the Court of Appeal in Lagos overturned the Federal High Court ruling, clearing the way for Olawale’s transfer to the United States.

The two men were initially arrested in Nigeria in August 2023 as part of a wider FBI-led operation targeting alleged sextortionists preying on minors in the United States. Their eventual extradition came after about three years of legal and investigative proceedings.

FBI Director Kash Patel described the men as “high-value targets” and said their return to the United States demonstrated that international borders would not shield suspects from prosecution for alleged crimes committed online.

The U.S. Justice Department said the cases form part of Operation Artemis, an FBI initiative focused on financially motivated sextortion rings operating from Nigeria. The agency said such networks have been linked to dozens of American teen deaths by suicide.

The U.S. authorities also acknowledged the cooperation of Nigeria’s Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, the Federal Ministry of Justice and the EFCC in securing the extraditions.

The EFCC said the development underscored the growing partnership between Nigerian and American law enforcement agencies in combating transnational and internet-enabled crimes, particularly offences involving the sexual exploitation of children.