A joint international law enforcement operation culminated this week in the extradition of two Nigerian nationals, Mudashiru Afeez Olawale and Adebola Festus Adekunle, to the United States. The suspects are accused of orchestrating devastating financial sextortion schemes that led to the deaths of two American teenagers in Mississippi and North Carolina.
​The case exposes the horrific mechanics of modern transnational cybercrime. According to investigative reports, the suspects targeted male minors aged 13 to 17 using Instagram and other platforms.
In one instance, a 13-year-old boy was coerced into sharing explicit photographs before being subjected to relentless demands for cryptocurrency, gift cards, and wire transfers under the threat of public exposure. U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) agents revealed that the extortion continued unabated even after the victim expressed explicit intentions to end his life.
​While Adekunle was taken into custody following actionable intelligence provided by the FBI, Olawale’s path to extradition involved a lengthy legal battle through Nigeria’s court system.
Justice A. Lewis-Allagoa of the Federal High Court in Lagos initially denied the EFCC’s extradition application (Suit No. FHC/L/CS/353/2024) on June 10, 2024. However, that decision was successfully overturned by the Court of Appeal in Lagos (Appeal No. CA/LAG/CV/721/2024) on July 7, 2026, clearing the way for his surrender to federal authorities.
​The formal handover took place on Wednesday, August 26, 2026, and was officially confirmed by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) Media and Publicity Unit on Friday, August 28, 2026.
The agency highlighted the event as a testament to the seamless, high-stakes cooperation between the EFCC’s Lagos Zonal Directorate 2 and foreign partners to combat syndicate operations that prey on youth.
​Reacting to the successful transfer, U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche underscored the reach of federal law enforcement, stating, “Anyone who allegedly exploits vulnerable children in the U.S. will be pursued no matter where they are in the world… Two Nigerian men have been extradited to the U.S. to face prosecution.”
FBI Director Kash Patel mirrored that stance, noting that the agency “brought back two high-value targets from Nigeria to the United States to face justice… They were overseas for three years. Now they’re back on U.S. soil to answer for the charges.”
​Both Olawale and Adekunle remain in U.S. federal custody facing federal counts of coercion, enticement, sexual exploitation of a minor resulting in death, and interstate threatening communications as their trial proceedings begin.
