By ETIM ETIM
A blackmailer is a criminal who threatens to reveal a damaging, embarrassing or secret piece of information about someone unless that person pays the blackmailer money, property or does what they demand. Blackmailers usually demand cash, but they can also force victims into granting favours, jobs, sex, or promotion. In the case of Sandra Duru (alias Prof Mgbeke), she had demanded $5 million from Senator Godswill Akpabio, President of Nigeria’s Senate, threatening to publish the recordings of her phone conversations with him, if her demand was not met. Not one to give in to coercion, the Senate President refused to meet her demand and Duru has since made good her threat. I have listened to those tapes, but there is nothing explosive in them. They contain the normal chitchats and light hearted conversations Akpabio is known for. Whoever has held a conversation with the former Akwa Ibom governor is used to long tales and winding stories. He is too trusting of everybody; and would easily go into detailed banters with friends and those he regards as friends. But Sandra Duru is a fiend, not his friend.
The first demand Duru made of Akpabio was for the Senate President to bankroll a damaging book she wanted to publish on Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan. He declined the request, insisting that he had already decided to forgive the Kogi Senator of her transgressions and moved on from the distractions. Incensed and disappointed, she then asked for $5 million, otherwise she would disclose the details of their phone talks. This came after the Senate President had reportedly paid her handsomely for all her initial support. Akpabio was shocked by her demands and accordingly declined to deal, according to those who are privy to their early discussions. This is a classic blackmailer or extortionist at work. They’re unyielding, cruel and determined to destroy their targets to have their way.I understand that the Senate President is unfazed by Duru’s criminal conduct, but a bit surprised that a woman who parades herself as a professor would be descend into extortion.
Duru is pursuing two main objectives. One, she wants to inflict maximum pain and hurt on the Senate President for not taking her bait, and two, she wants to use the recordings to drive huge traffic to her social media handles, especially her Youtube channel where she’s expecting to earn vast sum of money. A social media influencer told me that Duru may earn up to $50,000 from the huge traffic she’s drawn to her social media handles through the telephone recordings; and to optimize her earnings, she now wants produce podcasts with them.
Blackmail is a big industry globally and many senior public officials have been targeted. Some years ago, a Nigerian, Jackson Ude, who lives in the US and claims to be a newspaper publisher, was in the habit of publishing false information against Akapbio, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo and other political figures, hoping to extort money from them. That was when Osinbajo was preparing to launch his presidential campaign and I was involved in his media team. Of course, the former Vice President refused to do a deal, and the bloke went away. I am also told by Akpabio’s staffers that the Senate President (then he was a minister) also called off Ude’s demand.
In recent years, several high-profile legal cases have brought international and local attention to individuals and syndicates operating extortion or “sextortion” networks from Nigeria. Law enforcement agencies have actually cracked down on organized networks and specific perpetrators have faced major criminal convictions.In September 2024, Samuel and Samson Ogoshi, two Nigerian brothers, were sentenced by a U.S. federal court to 17 and a half years in prison each. Operating from Lagos, they targeted more than 100 victims—predominantly teenage boys in the United States—by using hacked social media accounts to pose as young women, obtaining explicit photos, and then blackmailing them. Their extortion network gained global notoriety after it directly led to the tragic suicide of 17-year-old Michigan student Jordan DeMay. Another Nigerian, Adido Olkai was extradited to the US and prosecuted for financial extortion and cyber-blackmail. Olkai was handed a 76-year prison sentence following a major investigation involving international law enforcement agencies. His operations targeted minors abroad, utilizing intimate imagery to force victims into compliance.
Blackmailers also operate in sophisticated syndicates like the “BM Boys” Network. Highlighted by international journalistic and intelligence investigations, this is a broad subculture of West African cybercriminals (often operating under the slang “BM” for blackmail). Unlike traditional email scammers (“Yahoo Boys”), this group leverages platforms like TikTok, Instagram, and Snapchat specifically for targeted financial sextortion.
In April 2025, a collaborative crackdown between the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and Nigeria’s Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) led to the arrest of 22 suspected cyber-blackmailers across Nigeria. This syndicate was tied to massive international extortion rings that cumulatively extorted tens of millions of dollars from minors.
Who will ever forget the Gistlover Blog Syndicate? In January 2024, the National Cybercrime Unit of the Nigeria Police arrested individuals, including Adebukola Kolapo, Nnedum Michael Somtomchukwu, and Isaac Akpokighe, who were associated with the infamous, faceless “Gistlover” blog network. The group was accused of using the massive reach of the microblogging platform to engage in systemic cyberstalking, reputation damage, and targeted blackmail of public officials and celebrities. A year later, Malik Opeyemi was arrested by the Lagos State Police Command in May 2025 for running a domestic blackmail racket. He impersonated women online, lured over 30 Nigerian men into compromised video calls, and extorted millions of Naira from them before being caught and charged in court.
Blackmailers use fear, obligation and guilt (the ‘’FOG’’ framework) to control their targets and get what they want. Whether dealing with financial extortion or emotional blackmail, blackmailers share distinct psychological and behavioural traits. They exploit vulnerabilities, are manipulative, lack empathy and shift blame. Senator Akpabio’s generosity; inclination to offer help and deep trust in people, including those he doesn’t know well, are his chief vulnerabilities. A lot of people have taken advantage of him for these reasons, right from when he was our governor in Akwa Ibom State. He should be more careful with people and speak less with them. Second, although Duru lives in the United States, Akpabio should initiate a criminal proceeding against her in Nigeria. Maybe the first place to start is to seek her extradition back to Abuja where she would face the Cybercrime Act.
ETIM ETIM is a veteran journalist and PR professional with over 35 years of cognate experience.
He is the publisher and editor-in-chief of Policy & Politics (www.policyandpolitics.com.ng), an online newspaper dedicated to insightful analysis of Nigerian news and world’s report. He is also a columnist with BusinessDay and The Cable and is a regular contributor to other newspapers.
Contact: +234802 3159969 (WhatsApp Only)
