FBI Arrests 22 Nigerians In Sextortion Crackdown
The US Federal Bureau of Investigation, FBI, has arrested 22 Nigerians in connection with a global sextortion crackdown, codenamed Operation Artemis, aimed at tackling a disturbing surge in financially motivated sextortion crimes linked to teenage suicides.
The US Federal Bureau of Investigation, FBI, has arrested 22 Nigerians in connection with a global sextortion crackdown, codenamed Operation Artemis, aimed at tackling a disturbing surge in financially motivated sextortion crimes linked to teenage suicides.
The FBI, in collaboration with law enforcement agencies from Canada, Australia, the United Kingdom, and Nigeria, launched the unprecedented operation in response to an alarming rise in sextortion-related suicides across the United States.
Agency reports quoted the authorities, as saying that nearly half of those arrested were directly linked to victims who had taken their own lives.
“As a result of Operation Artemis, FBI investigations led to the arrests of 22 Nigerian subjects connected to financially motivated sextortion schemes. Of those 22 subjects, approximately half were directly linked to victims who took their own lives."
The operation is coming against the backdrop of reports of 30 percent increase in sextortion-related tips received by the FBI’s National Threat Operations Centre between October 2024 and March 2025, compared with the same period the previous year.
The FBI further stated that it's Internet Crime Complaint Centre, ICC, recorded over 54,000 victims in 2024, up from 34,000 in 2023, resulting in nearly $65 million in financial losses over the past two years.
The perpetrators, operating largely from Nigeria, targeted young male victims, typically aged between 14 and 17, by posing as peers or potential romantic interests on social media platforms.
After gaining trust, they coerced victims into sending compromising images, which were then used to extort money through threats of exposure. Payment was often demanded via gift cards, mobile payment services, wire transfers, or cryptocurrency. In many cases, the perpetrators continued to harass their victims regardless of whether payment was made, leaving victims feeling isolated, ashamed, and overwhelmed.
Operation Artemis investigations also led to the extradition of a Nigerian man earlier this year to face charges in the United States over the death of a South Carolina teenager.
Two additional suspects had previously been extradited in connection with a similar case involving the death of a young man in Pennsylvania.
“Given the alarming rise and similarities of these cases, the FBI opened investigations across the country to bring answers and closure to grieving American families,” the FBI added.
Working through its Child Exploitation Operational Unit, CEOU, and 55 field offices nationwide, the FBI identified nearly 3,000 victims of financially motivated sextortion.
The investigation bureau noted that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, also played a key role in the operation.
The FBI urged parents and guardians to maintain open conversations with their children about online safety and to reassure young people that they are not at fault should they fall victim to sextortion schemes.
“If your child believes they are a victim of sextortion or financially motivated sextortion, please report it immediately to law enforcement or the FBI,” the agency advised.
The FBI reminded the public that “an indictment is merely an allegation,” and that all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
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