Suspect in Nigeria charged over sextortion of BC boy who died: RCMP

Mounties in British Columbia say a suspect in Nigeria has been charged over the sextortion of a boy who died in Metro Vancouver last year, after an investigation spanning several countries.

Surrey RCMP say officers responded to the boy’s "sudden" death last February and an investigation determined he had been the victim of "financial sextortion" after being tricked into sending explicit photos to a person who posed as a teenage girl.

"The suspect then blackmailed the youth with threats to share the photos with his family and friends unless he complied with demands of purchasing gift cards and sending them to the suspect," police said in a statement.

Police didn’t name the boy, but Sgt. Tammy Lobb confirmed in a news conference that he had been correctly identified in previous media reports, which said he was a 14−year−old from Surrey who died by suicide.

Police say they determined last May that suspects in Nigeria had been communicating with the boy, and officers from the Surrey detachment travelled to Lagos last summer, where they worked with local authorities to arrest two men.

The Mounties say one man was later released, while Adedayo Olukeye, 26, has been charged under Nigerian law with offences including possession and distribution of child pornography, attempted extortion by threats and money laundering.

RCMP say he remains in custody awaiting trial. They say the investigation in Nigeria involved Surrey RCMP, the FBI, the Australian Federal Police and the Economic and Financial Crime Commission.

Sgt. Derek Bonner told a news conference that the suspects had used social media to communicate with the boy and the interaction lasted "only minutes."

"It was a short−term communication back−and−forth contained within one day."

Police provided a statement from the boy’s family on Tuesday, saying he was an "innocent child" who loved life and loved hockey, and he was taken advantage of.

"As we grieve the loss of our son, we want other parents to know this could happen to anyone," the statement said.

"Talk to your kids about internet safety, and keep the door to communication open, so they can come to you for help."

Sgt. Dave Knight said financial sextortion is a "public safety crisis that is heavily impacting youth globally," including in BC.

"Online child sexual extortion is a borderless crime, and these offenders have direct access to our children by targeting them through their phones, mobile devices and gaming consoles," he told the news conference.

He said police "cannot fight these predators alone," and they’re urging parents and guardians to learn the signs that a young person may be a victim of sextortion.

Surrey RCMP alone have received more than 500 reports of sexual extortion over the last two years, with 210 in 2022 and 302 in 2023, he told the news conference.

Last year, he said the victims ranged in age from 10 to 21 years old, and 21 per cent of victims were under 18. The majority of victims were male, Knight said.

"It is important to note that these are reported incidents, and that we do not know the total number of sextortions that go un−reported," he added.

"We urge youth and parents to come forward with this information."

The announcement about the investigation comes after BC last month launched a series of measures designed to tackle online harm.

Premier David Eby said the moves were in direct response to incidents such as the death of 12−year−old Carson Cleland in Prince George, who police say killed himself after falling prey to online sextortion last October.

The family's statement in full:

It has been almost one year since we lost our son. He loved hockey and he loved life. Not a day goes by that we don’t miss him. He was an innocent child who was taken advantage of due to his innocence.

As we grieve the loss of our son, we want other parents to know this could happen to anyone. Talk to your kids about Internet Safety and keep the door to communication open so they can come to you for help.

It brings us some comfort to know the person responsible is being held accountable. We hope this does not happen to another child. We want to thank the Surrey RCMP who has provided us with support and kept us apprised of what was going on throughout the investigation.

As we grieve the loss of our beloved son, we ask for privacy. We do not wish to provide anything more and we do not wish to be contacted by the media.