Two Nigerian brothers on Thursday pleaded not guilty to charges relating to operating an international sexual extortion racket that pushed a 17-year-old boy in Michigan, US, to take his life.

Samuel Ogoshi, 22, and Samson Ogoshi, 20, were extradited to the US on 13 August.

Joint investigations by the FBI and the Nigerian Economic and Financial Crimes Commission implicated them in the sextortion ring that targeted more than 100 minors and adults.

In a 13 August press briefing, Mark Totten, the US attorney for the Western District of Michigan, disclosed plans to extradite a third suspect, 19-year-old Ezekial Ejemeh Robert.

Mr Robert and the Ogoshi brothers are facing three charges, including conspiracy to sexually exploit minors, conspiracy to distribute child pornography and conspiracy to commit stalking through the internet.

Samuel Ogoshi faces the fourth count of sexual exploitation and attempted sexual exploitation of a minor resulting in the teenager's death.

Prosecutors allege that Samuel, posing as a young woman on the Instagram social media app, convinced the teenage boy to send him a sexually explicit photo.

He is then accused of blackmailing the boy into sending him $1,000 (£786) and continuing to blackmail him even after he sent $300. Samuel is accused of encouraging the boy to go through with his threat to take his life due to the blackmail, resulting in his eventual death in March 2022.