Nigerian Sextortion Gangs Preying on British Teens, Says UK Agency
The United Kingdom’s National Crime Agency (NCA) has raised alarms over the increasing threat of sextortion gangs from Nigeria and other West African countries targeting British teenage boys.
According to the NCA, these gangs, operating primarily from Nigeria and Ivory Coast, use fake profiles of young women on social media platforms like Snapchat and Instagram to lure children. They persuade boys some as young as 14, to send explicit images, then threaten to expose them unless they pay a ransom.
Marie Smith, a senior manager at the NCA’s child exploitation and online protection command, described the trend as “extremely disturbing.” She noted that offenders give affected children mere minutes to comply before making their threats public.
The situation is so severe that even adults up to 30 years old have been affected, with some tragically taking their own lives out of fear. The NCA is actively collaborating with Nigerian authorities to crack down on these criminal networks.
Alex Murray, the NCA’s Director of Threat Leadership, emphasized the devastating impact of sextortion, stating that the agency’s latest campaign aims to educate young boys on the dangers of online predators and how to seek help.
In 2024 alone, the NCA received 380 reports of sextortion cases. A previous case in the U.S. saw two Nigerian brothers, the Ogoshi brothers from Lagos, sentenced to 17 years and six months in prison for a similar crime. They targeted American teenager Jordan DeMay, who tragically took his own life within six hours of being blackmailed.
