A 24-year-old Nigerian man, Hassanbunhussein Abolore Lawal, has been extradited to the United States to face trial for his alleged involvement in a sextortion case that resulted in the death of a 17-year-old victim.
Lawal, who hails from Osun State, Nigeria, was flown to the US on Saturday after Nigerian authorities secured an assurance that he would not face the death penalty if convicted.
Court Appearance and Charges
On Monday, Lawal appeared before a federal court in Columbia, South Carolina, wearing an orange prison jumpsuit and restrained in handcuffs and leg shackles.
He pleaded not guilty to multiple charges, including child exploitation resulting in death and the production and distribution of child sexual abuse material.
The case against Lawal stems from the death of Gavin Guffey, a 17-year-old boy who took his own life after being allegedly blackmailed by the accused.
How the Sextortion Unfolded
Investigators allege that Lawal posed as a young woman on social media to lure the victim into sending compromising photos. He then threatened to expose the images unless the teenager paid him money.
The harassment allegedly escalated, with Lawal also extorting members of the victim’s family.
If convicted, Lawal could face life in prison, with a mandatory minimum sentence of 30 years for the child exploitation charge alone.
He has been denied bail and will remain in custody until his next court hearing on Monday.
Growing Concerns Over Sextortion Scams
The case is part of a wider trend of online sextortion crimes, many of which have been linked to criminal networks in Nigeria.
Last year, the parents of British teenager Murray Dowey, who died by suicide at 16 after being targeted in a similar scam, made a public plea to criminals in Nigeria to stop exploiting vulnerable individuals.
Additionally, in September 2024, two Nigerian brothers were convicted in the US for running a sextortion scam that targeted a 17-year-old victim. They were sentenced to 17 years and six months in prison, marking the first successful prosecution of Nigerians for sextortion in the US.
Tech Companies and Nigerian Authorities Respond
In response to the rising number of sextortion cases, Instagram’s parent company, Meta, has taken action by removing thousands of Nigerian accounts engaged in sextortion schemes.
Meanwhile, Nigeria’s National Cyber Crime Centre has ramped up efforts to combat online crimes. The centre’s director, Uche Ifeanyi Henry, previously stated that the Nigerian government has invested millions of pounds in a state-of-the-art cybercrime facility to demonstrate its commitment to tackling digital fraud.
Lawal’s extradition and prosecution in the US signal increasing international cooperation in the fight against online exploitation and cybercrime.
SOURCE: http://dew360.net
