President Tinubu and Trump,
A 24-year-old Nigerian man, Hassanbunhussein Abolore Lawal, has been extradited to the United States to face charges related to the alleged sextortion of a minor, which prosecutors say led to the victim’s death.
Lawal, a native of Osun State, was flown to the US on Saturday under an agreement that he would not face the death penalty if convicted.
He appeared in a federal court in Columbia, South Carolina, on Monday, dressed in an orange prison jumpsuit and shackles.
US authorities have charged him with multiple offenses, including child exploitation resulting in death, as well as the production and distribution of child sexual abuse material. He pleaded not guilty to the charges.
The case revolves around the tragic death of 17-year-old Gavin Guffey, who allegedly took his own life after being targeted by Lawal.
Prosecutors claim that Lawal posed as a young woman on social media to manipulate the teenager into sharing explicit images.
He then allegedly threatened to release the images unless the victim paid him money, a tactic commonly referred to as sextortion.
Lawal is also accused of extending similar threats to the victim’s family.
If convicted, he faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 30 years for child exploitation resulting in death, with the possibility of life imprisonment.
The court has denied him bail, and his next hearing is set for Monday, February 3, 2025.
This case is part of a broader crackdown on sextortion crimes involving Nigerian nationals. In September 2024, two Nigerian brothers were sentenced to over 17 years in prison in the US for similar offenses, marking a milestone in prosecuting such crimes.
In response to rising concerns, Meta, the parent company of Instagram, has removed thousands of Nigerian accounts linked to sextortion schemes.
Meanwhile, Nigeria’s National Cyber Crime Centre has pledged stronger efforts to combat online exploitation, with its director, Uche Ifeanyi Henry, stating that the government has invested heavily in advanced technology to tackle cybercrime.
