A Nigerian individual has been extradited to the United States to face charges related to the alleged sextortion of a minor, which resulted in the victim’s death.
Hassanbunhussein Abolore Lawal, 24, hailing from Osun state in Nigeria, was transported to the US on Saturday following an agreement with the Nigerian authorities that he would not receive a death sentence if convicted.
Lawal appeared in a federal court in Columbia, South Carolina, on Monday, dressed in an orange prison jumpsuit and restrained with shackles on his wrists and ankles, according to US media reports.
He pleaded not guilty to several charges, including child exploitation resulting in death, as well as the production and distribution of child sexual abuse material.
The investigation that led to Lawal’s extradition was initiated after 17-year-old Gavin Guffey took his own life, reportedly after being victimized by Lawal. The accused allegedly impersonated a young woman on social media, coercing the teenager into sharing compromising images.
Subsequently, he extorted the victim, sending threatening messages that he would release the photos and damage his reputation unless he received money. It is reported that Lawal later targeted members of the victim’s family in a similar manner.
Lawal faces the potential of life imprisonment, with the charge of child exploitation resulting in death carrying a mandatory minimum sentence of 30 years.
He will remain in custody without bail, with his next court appearance scheduled for Monday. Last year, the parents of a British teenager who died by suicide after falling victim to sextortion made a heartfelt appeal to criminals in Nigeria to cease “terrorizing” vulnerable individuals.
Murray Dowey, a 16-year-old from Dunblane, tragically passed away last year. It is believed that he was deceived by criminals into sharing intimate images of himself, which subsequently led to blackmail.
In September 2024, two brothers from Nigeria were sentenced to 17 years and six months in prison in the United States for their involvement in a sextortion scheme targeting a 17-year-old. This marked the first successful prosecution of Nigerian individuals for sextortion in the US.
Meta, the parent company of Instagram, has reported the removal of thousands of accounts in Nigeria that were involved in sextortion activities.
Uche Ifeanyi Henry, the director of Nigeria’s National Cyber Crime Centre, has previously informed the BBC that the Nigerian government has invested millions of pounds in a cutting-edge cyber-crime center to demonstrate its commitment to addressing this serious issue.
