The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has arrested mr Makor Aondona, Special Adviser to the Governor of Benue State on Documentation, Research and Planning, for alleged sextortion, cyberbullying, and blackmail.

Mr Aondona was apprehended on Friday in Makurdi, following a series of petitions from female students who accused him of using his political position to sexually exploit young women under the guise of offering them ushering jobs.

According to a statement shared on Saturday by EFCC spokesperson Dele Oyewale, the petitioners claimed that Mr Aondona routinely targeted slim and attractive girls for event ushering roles and allegedly demanded sexual favours as a condition for selection.

“The girls alleged that after being lured into sexual relations, they later discovered that Aondona had secretly recorded the acts and used the explicit videos to blackmail them, threatening to leak the footage if they refused to continue sleeping with him,” Mr Oyewale said.

He added that Mr Aondona allegedly distributed some of the explicit recordings—reportedly made without the victims’ consent—across several messaging platforms. Some of the videos are said to be in circulation.

The EFCC confirmed that Mr Aondona is in custody and will be charged in court soon.

This is not the first time the EFCC has arrested and prosecuted individuals for cyber-enabled sexual exploitation.

On 29 September 2023, the commission arraigned Olukeye Olalekan before a trial judge, Tijani Ringim of the Federal High Court in Ikoyi, Lagos, on an 18 counts of child pornography, money laundering, and the retention of proceeds of unlawful activities.

One of the charges alleged that Mr Olalekan (a.k.a hrm877, charlotte708, harlilott_716), about 13 February 2023, in Lagos, intentionally used the Instagram virtual network to create a group ‘Expose Janjuarobin Nudes’ to distribute child pornography.

The offences was said to be contrary to Section 23(1)(c) and punishable under Section 23(1)(e) of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, Etc.) Act, 2015.”

The commission said both the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) and the FBI had linked the case to the sudden death of a 14-year-old minor in Canada.

Mr Olalekan was arrested on 4 August 2023 in the Akute area of Ogun State after the RCMP shared intelligence with the EFCC.

Mr Olalekan pleaded not guilty to all charges.

In another case, on 13 August 2023, the EFCC facilitated the extradition of Samuel Ogoshi and his brother, Samson Ogoshi, to the United States to face charges of sexually extorting young men and minors in the Western District of Michigan and across the US.

Their extradition followed proceedings initiated in May 2023 at the Federal High Court in Abuja, in response to a U.S. request involving the FBI.

The Ogoshi brothers and a third suspect, Ezekiel Robert, were indicted on 1 December 2022 by the US Federal Court for child exploitation, conspiracy to produce and distribute child pornography, and cyberstalking.