President Bola Tinubu has commended the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission following FBI recognition of its assistance in cases involving two Nigerians extradited to face child sextortion charges in the United States.
The Presidency announced the commendation on Saturday, 31 October. It said FBI Director Kash Patel had written to EFCC Chairman Ola Olukoyede acknowledging the commission’s contribution to Operation Artemis, an investigation targeting financially motivated sexual extortion.
The arrests and extraditions occurred earlier. According to the US Department of Justice, Adebola Festus Adekunle and Mudasiru Afeez Olawale were arrested in Nigeria in August 2023. They were transferred to American custody on 27 August 2026 to face separate prosecutions in Mississippi and North Carolina.
Both men face allegations involving the exploitation of minors. The Justice Department stressed that the charges are accusations and that the defendants remain presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.
In the statement issued by presidential spokesman Bayo Onanuga, Tinubu pledged continued support for law enforcement cooperation against criminals exploiting children and other vulnerable people.
He described the FBI’s recognition as evidence of the institutional performance his administration wanted to encourage. The President urged the commission and other agencies to sustain their efforts against financial crime.
The American announcement also credited Nigeria’s Attorney General and Minister of Justice, the Federal Ministry of Justice’s International Criminal Justice Cooperation Department, and the EFCC. The extraditions involved the Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs, the FBI’s legal attaché in Abuja and agents who travelled to Nigeria.
Adekunle’s prosecution is being handled in the Northern District of Mississippi, while Olawale’s case is before the Middle District of North Carolina. The Justice Department announced their initial federal court appearances on 28 August.
Tinubu said stronger institutions and cooperation with international partners were essential to protecting legitimate enterprise and bringing offenders to justice under the law.
Operation Artemis forms part of the FBI’s response to sextortion networks operating across national borders. The agency describes financially motivated sextortion as a scheme in which offenders obtain intimate material and threaten to distribute it unless victims provide money or other payment.
Its public guidance distinguishes those demands from cases in which offenders primarily seek further images. Both forms can begin through social media, messaging services, online games or other platforms where young people communicate.
The FBI warns that an apparent friendship or romantic approach may conceal a false identity. Offenders can also begin with threats, including claims that they already possess compromising material.
The agency says paying does not necessarily prevent distribution. Its guidance emphasises that exploited children are victims of crime and should receive support rather than blame.
For parents and caregivers, the FBI recommends maintaining open communication so children can disclose threatening contact. It also cautions against businesses charging victims for assistance or promising paid removal of intimate images.
Reports can be made to local law enforcement or through the FBI’s online reporting channel. The agency directs families seeking help with images involving minors to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children’s Take It Down service.
Archive photograph: President Bola Tinubu. Credit: State House, via Punch. Photograph does not depict the extraditions.
