Columbia, South Carolina — A 24-year-old Nigerian, Hassanbunhussein Abolore Lawal from Osun State, has been extradited to the United States to face charges related to sextortion, which allegedly led to a minor’s tragic death.
Lawal was transferred to US custody on Saturday through a diplomatic agreement with the Nigerian government that ensures he will not face the death penalty if convicted.
Appearing in a federal court in Columbia, South Carolina, on Monday, Lawal pleaded not guilty to charges of child exploitation resulting in death and the production and distribution of child sexual abuse material. Dressed in an orange prison jumpsuit and shackled, he was remanded without bail pending further proceedings.
The case stems from the suicide of 17-year-old Gavin Guffey, who reportedly took his own life after alleged harassment by Lawal. Investigators claim Lawal impersonated a young woman online to coerce the victim into sharing explicit photos. When Guffey complied, Lawal allegedly blackmailed him for money and extended threats to his family.
If convicted, Lawal faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 30 years, with the possibility of life imprisonment. His next court appearance is scheduled for Monday.
The incident underscores the growing problem of sextortion, where individuals are manipulated into sharing explicit material and then blackmailed. Authorities have expressed concern over the rise of such cases involving perpetrators from Nigeria.
In a similar case last year, two Nigerian brothers were sentenced to over 17 years in the US for sextortion, marking the first successful prosecution of Nigerians for such crimes in the country.
The parents of British teenager Murray Dowey, who died by suicide at 16 after a sextortion scheme, recently issued a heartfelt plea for Nigerian criminals to cease exploiting vulnerable individuals.
Tech giant Meta, the parent company of Instagram, revealed that thousands of accounts linked to sextortion schemes had been removed from Nigeria. Meanwhile, Nigeria’s National Cyber Crime Centre has intensified its efforts to combat cybercrime, investing heavily in state-of-the-art technology, according to Director Uche Ifeanyi Henry.
By Enoch Odesola| January 28, 2025
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