The United Kingdom’s National Crime Agency has raised concerns over the growing menace of sextortion gangs from Nigeria and other West African countries targeting British teenage boys.
The agency revealed that Nigerian criminal syndicates, disguising themselves as young women, were blackmailing British teenagers as young as 14 on social media platforms such as Snapchat and Instagram.
PLATFORM TIMES reports that a report by UK-based Leading British Conversation, indicated that these gangs, including those from Ivory Coast, threaten to expose explicit images of their victims to their friends, family, and classmates unless they comply with financial demands.
Marie Smith, a senior manager at the NCA’s Child Exploitation and Online Protection Command, described the crime as “extremely disturbing,” highlighting that a significant number of offenders originate from West African nations.
“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,” Smith stated.
The report further revealed that even adults as old as 30 have fallen victim to this scheme, with some tragically taking their own lives out of fear that their explicit images would be made public.
To combat this rising threat, Smith disclosed that the NCA is collaborating with Nigerian law enforcement to crack down on the perpetrators.
“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 added.
The NCA’s Director of Threat Leadership, Alex Murray, described sextortion as “unimaginably cruel” and warned of its devastating consequences for victims.
“This campaign will help empower young boys, giving them the knowledge to spot the dangers posed by this crime and how to report it. It supports them to understand that if it does happen, it is never their fault,” Murray stated.
He noted that sextortion has been a driving factor in some teen suicides worldwide, emphasizing the need for urgent intervention.
The report highlighted a related case in which two Nigerian brothers were sentenced to 17 years and six months in a U.S. prison in 2024 for a similar sextortion scheme.
The Ogoshi brothers, originally from Lagos, had deceived American teenager Jordan DeMay by posing as a girl his age and coercing him into sending explicit images. They later blackmailed him, leading to his tragic suicide less than six hours after their conversation on Instagram.
The NCA reported receiving 380 sextortion cases in 2024 alone, reinforcing concerns about the alarming rise of this cybercrime.
Do you want to share a story with us? Do you want to advertise with us? Do you need publicity for a product, service, or event? Contact us on WhatsApp +2348183319097 Email: platformtimes@gmail.com
We are committed to impactful investigative journalism for human interest and social justice. Your donation will help us tell more stories. Kindly donate any amount HERE
