A 24-year-old Nigerian man, Hassanbunhussein Abolore Lawal, has been extradited to the United States to face trial over an alleged sextortion scheme that resulted in the tragic death of a 17-year-old American teenager.
Lawal, an indigene of Osun State,
was flown to the U.S. on Saturday following an agreement with the Nigerian government that he would not face the death penalty if convicted.
Appearing before a federal court in Columbia, South Carolina,
on Monday, Lawal pleaded not guilty to multiple charges, including,
Child exploitation resulting in deat,
Production and distribution of child sexual abuse material.
Dressed in an orange prison jumpsuit and shackles,he was denied bail and remains in custody pending his next court hearing on Monday, February 3, 2025.
The case stems from the suicide of 17-year-old Gavin Guffey, who was allegedly blackmailed by Lawal in a sextortion scheme.
U.S. prosecutors allege that Lawal posed as a young woman on social media, tricking the victim into sending compromising photos.
He then allegedly extorted and harassed the teenager, threatening to leak the images unless money was sent.
Lawal is also accused of targeting the victim’s family in a similar manner.
If convicted, Lawal faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 30 years for child exploitation resulting in death, with a potential life sentence.
Just last year, the family of British teenager Murray Dowey, who also died by suicide after falling victim to a similar scheme, called on Nigerian cybercriminals to stop exploiting the vulnerable.
With Nigeria’s law enforcement agencies stepping up their crackdown on cybercrime, this case serves as a warning to online predators engaging in criminal activities across borders.
