The federal high court sitting in Lagos has sentenced Olukeye Adeayo Olalekan to 76 years in prison after finding him guilty of multiple offences, including child pornography, cyberstalking, fraud, and money laundering.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) arraigned Olalekan on an 18-count charge.
The offences ranged from distributing and procuring child pornography, cyberstalking, and obtaining property under false pretences to the retention and concealment of proceeds of fraud.
Counts one to three involved the distribution and procurement of child pornography, contrary to sections 23(1)(c) and 23(1)(f) of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, Etc.) Act, 2015.
According to the anti-graft agency, count four dealt with cyberstalking, while counts five to nine addressed the unlawful retention of fraudulent proceeds, contrary to the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.
Counts 10 to 14 concerned disguising the origin of those funds, and the remaining counts, 15 to 18, related to obtaining property under false pretences in violation of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Related Offences Act, 2006.
Olalekan was first arraigned before Y.G. Ringim, a federal high court judge, on September 6, 2023, where he pleaded not guilty.
But the case was reassigned and heard de novo before Kehinde Ogundare and again before Alexander Owoeye.
The defendant was granted bail, and the trial commenced.
According to the prosecution, the case drew international attention after the British Columbia Serious Crime Unit in Canada launched an investigation into the death of 14-year-old Robin Janjus, who was found dead in his home.
The prosecution said forensic analysis of the victim’s mobile phone led Canadian authorities to social media accounts operated by the defendant.
Further investigation, including an undercover operation, revealed that Olalekan had pretended to be a female from North Carolina, using platforms such as Snapchat and Instagram to lure victims.
He was found to have solicited and obtained property under false pretences, threatened to disseminate nude images of minors, and conducted multiple fraudulent transactions involving cryptocurrency and gift cards.
After reviewing the evidence, the court found Olalekan guilty on all 18 counts and sentenced him, accordingly, resulting in a cumulative 76-year prison term.
