US Extradites Two Nigerians Over Fatal Sextortion Operations Targeting Minors

Two Nigerian nationals have been extradited to the United States from Nigeria to face federal charges in Mississippi and North Carolina over their involvement in financially motivated “sextortion” schemes that led to the deaths of American teenagers.

The U.S. Department of Justice confirmed that Adebola Festus Adekunle, 26, and Mudasiru Afeez Olawale, 24, were handed over to Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) agents in Nigeria on Thursday, August 27, 2026.

Both defendants appeared before separate federal courts in Mississippi and North Carolina on Friday.

The extraditions followed joint operations between the FBI and Nigerian law enforcement agencies, including the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Federal Ministry of Justice.

Adekunle and Olawale were originally arrested in Nigeria in August 2023 under “Operation Artemis,” a targeted international campaign against cyber-extortion rings operating out of Nigeria.

Adekunle faces charges in the Northern District of Mississippi, including sexual exploitation of a minor resulting in death, coercion, enticement, and interstate threats with intent to extort.

Olawale faces charges in the Middle District of North Carolina for offences relating to sexual exploitation of minors resulting in death, distribution of child pornography, and enticement.

If convicted on the primary charges of child exploitation resulting in death, both defendants face mandatory minimum prison terms of 30 years and up to life imprisonment.

U.S. officials commended Nigeria’s Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice alongside local security agencies for their cooperation in facilitating the extraditions.