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🇳🇬 Nigeria /Crime & Justice

US Consulate, FBI seek stronger EFCC ties on sextortion

From The Punch · () English

Summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

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  • The U.S. Consulate in Lagos and the FBI are seeking enhanced information sharing with Nigeria's EFCC to combat sextortion and financial crimes.
  • U.S. officials commended the EFCC's efforts in investigating sextortion and transnational financial crimes.
  • The FBI reported over 34,000 sextortion victims in 2023, with financial losses nearing $65 million over two years, and recently arrested 22 Nigerians in a related scheme.

The United States Consulate in Lagos and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) are pushing for stronger information sharing with Nigeria's Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to bolster collaboration against sextortion and other transnational financial crimes. This call for enhanced cooperation was made during a courtesy visit by U.S. officials to the EFCC's Acting Zonal Director in Lagos.

Assistant Law Enforcement Attaché James Smith of the U.S. Consulate and SSA Thomas Pepper of the FBI Cyber Division Headquarters met with ACE I Bawa Kaltungo, the EFCC Acting Zonal Director. During the meeting, the U.S. officials commended the EFCC for its effectiveness and sustained efforts in combating sextortion and transnational financial crimes. Smith emphasized that the visit aimed to strengthen existing collaboration, particularly in information sharing concerning criminal activities involving both Nigerians and foreigners.

The visit aimed to strengthen the existing collaboration between the U.S. Consulate and the Commission, particularly in the area of information sharing in combating criminal activities involving both Nigerians and foreigners.

— SSA James Smith, Assistant Law Enforcement Attaché, U.S. ConsulateExplaining the purpose of the visit and the focus on information sharing.

Kaltungo thanked the U.S. delegation for their visit and assured them of the EFCC's continued cooperation. The engagement highlighted the commitment of both nations to enhancing their joint efforts against sextortion, cybercrime, and other transnational financial offenses.

This collaboration comes in the wake of significant FBI actions, including the arrest of 22 Nigerians in April 2025 for involvement in a financially motivated sextortion scheme linked to over 20 teen suicides in the U.S. since 2021. The FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) reported a substantial rise in sextortion cases, with over 34,000 victims in 2023 and financial losses totaling nearly $65 million over the past two years. From October 2021 to March 2023, the FBI, Homeland Security Investigations, and the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children recorded over 12,600 minors, predominantly boys, targeted in such schemes.

I thank you for the visit and assure you of our utmost cooperation where necessary.

— ACE I Bawa Kaltungo, Acting Zonal Director, EFCC Lagos Zonal Directorate 2Responding to the U.S. delegation and pledging cooperation.
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Originally published by The Punch. Summarized and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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