'My 17-year-old son die within six hours afta dem begin blackmail am with im fotos'

One mama wey her son kill imself just six hours afta e dey targeted by "sextortionists" dey campaign to raise awareness.

Jordan DeMay bin die for 2022 afta two brodas Samuel and Samson Ogoshi bin target am from Lagos, dem bin pretend to be one fine girl of im age, and den blackmail am wit images of imself.

Now, im mama, Jenn Buta, dey use di TikTok account Jordan bin set up for her to warn young pipo about dat kind criminals, many of dem base for Nigeria - and her videos get more dan one million "likes".

Nigerian police don tell BBC say any suggestion say dem no take di crimes seriously dey "laughable".

Di brodas, 20 and 22, bin flirt wit di 17-year-old, for Instagram, and send am sexual pictures before dem sweet-tok am to share direct images of imself.

Den, dem bin blackmail am for money so dem no go share di pictures online.

And wen Jordan tok say e no fit send any more and fit kill imself, di Ogoshis tok say: “Do dat fast - or I go make you do am.”

Dem extradite dem to di US, dem bin plead guilty and dey wait sentencing.

Anoda man dey fight extradition from Nigeria.

“Na less dan six hours from di time wey Jordan begin communicate till di time e finally take im life,” Jenn tell BBC, from her home for Michigan, for di north of di US.

“E actually be like one script dey online.

"And dis pipo dey just go through di script and put dat pressure on.

"And dem dey do am quick, sake of say den, dem go move on to di next pesin becos na about volume.”

Sextortion dey mostly aimed at boys or young men

For April, anoda two Nigerian men bin chop arrest afta one schoolboy from Australia kill imself afta e dey targeted.

Cases wey dey linked to Nigeria don dey on di rise for Japan.

And US crime figures show say cases more dan double last year, e rise to 26,700, wit at least 27 boys wey don kill demselves for di past two.

Dis week, technical officers from Nigeria National Cyber Crime Centre dey meet wit di UK National Crime Agency, for London, to discuss how to improve cooperation on cyber-crime like sextortion.

Di NCA bin issue warning to children and schools about rise for di threats, last month.

Sextortion fit come from overseas organised crime groups, mostly for some West African kontries but also South East Asia, dem tok.

Cyber-security researchers tok say di crimes most of di time dey linked to Nigeria Yahoo Boys, di name get link to Yahoo emails for di early 2000s.

And earlier dis year, US cyber company Network Contagion Research Institute analysis bin highlight some Nigerian TikTok, YouTube and Scribd accounts wey dey share tips on how to blackmail teenagers.

Cyber Crime Centre director Uche Ifeanyi Henry tell BBC News say im officers dey “hit criminals hard” and defend dia work to tackle di crime wave.

“Pipo wey believe say Nigeria no dey do enough dey laughable,” e tok.

And di goment dey spend millions of pounds on one state-of-the-art cyber-crime centre, na prove say dem dey take di problem - especially sextortion - seriously.

'Neighbouring kontries'

“We dey give criminals very serious hit," Oga Henry tok.

"Plenti don dey prosecuted and a lot don dey arrested.

"Many of dis criminals dey move to neighbouring kontries now sake of am.”

Sextortion cases still dey on di rise, wit Nigerian teenagers wey also dey targeted.

But di criminals no be just Nigeria problem and to tackle dem go require global support.

'Mainstream activity'

Nevertheless, Dr Tombari Sibe, from Digital Footprints Nigeria, tok say, cyber-fraud like sextortion don become normal to di large young tech-savvy population.

“Di main triggers dey social and economic for nature,” e tok.

“E also get di big problem of unemployment and of poverty.

"All dis young ones wey no even really get much - e don become almost like mainstream activity wia dem no dey really think too much about di consequences.”

'Reach out'

Meanwhile, Jenn kontinu to dey campaign, alongside Jordan papa.

She tok say she don dey contacted by and she don help console oda parents, for di US, Australia and di UK, wey don lost children sake of di crimes.

“I dey get messages all di time, from parents wey dey reach out to ask wetin to do sake of e don happun to dia child," Jenn tok.

"Sometimes, dem just wan tell me wetin happun to dia pikin.

"And sometimes, dem dey say thank you sake of say dem remember Jordan tori and dem come to me for help.”

Advice wey Jenn and many law-enforcement agencies dey regularly give pipo wey sextortionists dey target include:

*Remember say you no dey alone and dis no be your fault

*Report di predator account, via di platform safety feature

*Block di predator so dem no go fit contact you

*Save di profile or messages - dem fit help law enforcement identify and stop di predator

*Ask for help from a trusted adult or law enforcement before sending money or more fotos.

*To cooperate wit di predator no fit stop di blackmail and harassment - but law enforcement fit.





Jordan mama, Jenn, don post plenti videos to raise awareness



Sextortion criminals no only be from Nigeria, Cyber Crime Centre director Uche Ifeanyi Henry tok