Adebola Festus Adekunle and Mudashiru Afeez Olawale extradited to US over alleged sextortion of minors

Two Nigerian men have been returned to the United States to face federal charges linked to alleged financially motivated sextortion schemes targeting teenage boys, one of which is alleged to have contributed to the death of a child.

FBI Director Kash Patel announced on Friday that Adebola Festus Adekunle and Mudasiru Afeez Olawale, arrested in Nigeria in 2023, are now in US custody. “They were overseas for three years. Now they’re back on U.S. soil to answer for the charges against them,” he said.

The men were handed over to American authorities on Wednesday 26 August by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) Lagos Zonal Directorate 2, following separate FBI investigations. Nigerian and US sources state that the pair were identified in connection with distinct cases involving male minors aged between 13 and 17. Two American teenagers later died by suicide after allegedly being subjected to online sexual exploitation and extortion.

Charges listed by US authorities include sexual exploitation of minors, coercion and enticement, extortion, and the distribution and production of child sexual abuse material. One alleged scheme is said to have resulted in a child’s death. Olawale faces a seven-count indictment that includes sexual exploitation of a minor resulting in death, enticement of a minor, interstate threatening communications, and related offences.

Adekunle, 26, of Lagos, was arraigned on Friday in the US District Court for the Northern District of Mississippi. He is charged in connection with the December 2022 death of 16-year-old Walker Montgomery, a student and football player from Starkville. The indictment includes sexual exploitation of a minor resulting in death, production of child sexual abuse material, coercion and enticement of a minor, and interstate threats. If convicted on the exploitation-resulting-in-death count, he faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 30 years and a possible life term.

Olawale’s extradition followed a longer legal process in Nigeria. The Federal High Court in Lagos initially refused the request in June 2024. The Court of Appeal, Lagos Division, overturned that decision on 7 July 2026, clearing the way for his transfer.

The EFCC said the cases involved the alleged use of explicit material involving minors to demand payment through money-transfer services, gift cards and cryptocurrency. The commission described the handover as evidence of continued co-operation with the FBI against transnational internet-enabled crimes targeting children.

The FBI has previously highlighted a rise in financially motivated sextortion originating from Nigeria, particularly schemes directed at adolescent boys. Operation Artemis and related investigations have produced multiple arrests and extraditions since 2023. Both men remain presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law.

The cases form part of a broader pattern of US-Nigerian law-enforcement co-operation on child-exploitation and cyber-enabled financial crime. Further court appearances are expected in the coming weeks.