By Fatima Zahra Muhammad
ASHENEWS reports that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) says it has facilitated the extradition of two siblings, Samuel and Samson Ogoshi to the United States where they will face prosecution for sexually extorting numerous young men and teenage boys in the Western District of Michigan and across the U.S.
Wilson Uwujaren, the Head, Media & Publicity at the EFCC, who disclosed this in a statement issued on Sunday said that the extradition of the third defendant, Ezekiel Robert, is still pending.
According to the EFCC, the Ogoshis was arrested sometime in February 2023 around the Ojo axis of Lagos, while Robert was arrested in Nasarawa by operatives of the EFCC.
“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,” the statement said.
The statement by the EFCC noted that the investigation revealed that 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.
“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.” the statement said.