Nigeria Extradites 2 Brothers To US To Face ‘Sextortion’ Charges

The Nigerian government has extradited two siblings –Samuel Ogoshi and Samson Ogoshi– to the United States of America to face trial for sexually extorting numerous young men and teenage boys.

The brothers, with another accomplice, Ezekiel Robert, allegedly hacked some social media accounts, posing to be young attractive women to entice unsuspecting victims to send their sexually explicit photographs.

A victim, 17-year-old Jordan DeMay of Marquette, Michigan, was said to have died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound in March 2022.

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), which facilitated the extradition, said in a statement on Monday that Samuel Ogoshi and his brother, Samson Ogoshi, arrived in the US on Sunday.

EFCC’s statement, signed by its spokesperson, Wilson Uwujaren, said the Ogoshis would be tried at a court in the Western District of Michigan.

The US Department of Justice and the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI), also announcing that the brothers arrived in the US on Sunday, said they would appear in court on Monday (today).

The Nigerian government, through the office of the Attorney-General of the Federation, had initiated the extradition proceedings against the brothers and another accomplice, Ezekiel Robert, at the Federal High Court in Abuja in December 2022. It followed a request by the FBI.

EFCC arrested the Ogoshis sometime in February 2023 around the Ojo axis of Lagos.

It picked up Mr Robert in Nasarawa.

While the extradition suit initiated against the brothers has been concluded, ending in a verdict sending them to the US to face trial, the case of Robert is still pending in court.

EFCC full statement reads:

The Lagos Zonal Command of the Economic and Financial Crimes, EFCC, on Sunday, August 13, 2023, facilitated the extradition of Samuel Ogoshi and his brother, Samson, to the United States of America, to face prosecution for sexually extorting numerous young men and teenage boys in the Western District of Michigan and across the U.S.

The Commission had, sometime in May, 2023, initiated the extradition proceedings at the Federal High Court, Abuja Judicial Division, against the Ogoshis alongside one Ezekiel Ejemeh Robert over exploitation of minors and production of pornography, following a request by the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation, FBI.

The Ogoshis and Ezekiel were indicted in a United States Federal Court on December 1, 2022 on charges of exploitation of minors, resulting in death, conspiracy to sexually exploit minors by causing the minors to produce child pornographic images that the defendants now use to blackmail them.

They are further charged with conspiracy to distribute child pornography, which borders on sending images to minors, their families and friends, as well as conspiracy to commit stalking through the Internet.

The offences carry a minimum of five years and maximum 20 years imprisonment.

Specifically, Samuel was charged with causing the death of 17-year-old Jordan DeMay of Marquette, Michigan, who died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound in March 2022.

According to investigations, the suspects conspired to conduct a sex-based extortion of minors and adults in the United States of America.

The trio allegedly hacked some social media accounts, posing to be young attractive women to entice unsuspecting victims to send their sexually explicit photographs.

These pictures were then used to blackmail the victims, thereby forcing them into making huge financial payments.

While the Ogoshis were arrested sometime in February 2023 around the Ojo axis of Lagos, Ezekiel was picked up in Nasarawa by operatives of the EFCC.

The extradition of the third defendant, Robert, is, however, still pending.