UK agency raises alarm over Nigerian sextortion gangs, intensifies awareness campaign to educate youngsters
By Jeph Ajobaju, Chief Copy Editor
Sextortion gangs from Nigeria and other West African countries are targeting British teenage boys, warns the United Kingdom National Crime Agency (NCA) – a crime for which two Nigerian brothers were extradited to the United States and convicted in 2024.
NCA expressed concern that British teenagers as young as 14 are being targeted and blackmailed on Snapchat and Instagram by Nigerian sextortionists who disguise themselves as young women to extort kids.
A report by Leading British Conversation, an online platform based in the UK, said suspected gangs from Nigeria and Cote D’Ivoire threatened teenagers with exposing their photos to friends, family, and classmates unless they paid a demanded sum.
Marie Smith, senior manager at NCA child exploitation and online protection command, described the abuse as “extremely disturbing. The majority of offenders we see are from West African countries.
“They use fake profiles of young women, persuading boys to send indecent images by promising explicit pictures in return.
“Once they have the images, they pressure the victim to pay quickly – sometimes giving them just minutes before threatening to expose them.”
The report said even adults as old as 30 have fallen victim to the scheme, with some committing suicide out of fear that their images would be exposed online.
Smith disclosed that NCA is working with enforcement officers in Nigeria to crack down on the gangs.
“We’re working internationally with our Nigerian counterparts, which is where we’re seeing most of this abuse happening. Nothing is off the cards, and we hope to hold these criminals accountable,” she said.
NCA Director of Threat Leadership, Alex Murray, described sextortion as unimaginably cruel, warning that it could have devastating consequences for its victims.
He stressed that “This campaign will help empower young boys, giving them the knowledge to spot the dangers posed by this crime type and how to report it.
“It supports them to understand that if it does happen, it is never their fault.
“It will also take the advantage away from the criminals responsible, whose only motivation is financial gain.
“Sadly, teenagers in the UK and around the world have taken their own lives because of ‘sextortion’, which has been a major factor behind launching this campaign.
NCA safety centre received 380 reports of sextortion in 2024 alone, the report added.
Two Nigerian brothers were sentenced to 17 years and six months in prison in the US in 2024 for committing the crime.
The Ogoshi brothers from Lagos deceived Jordan DeMay by posing as a girl his age, coercing him into sending explicit images before blackmailing him.
The victim took his life less than six hours after their conversation began on Instagram.
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