Court Sentences Man To 76 Years for Child Pornography, Cyberstalking, Fraud

BY MICHAEL AKINOLA 

Justice Alexander Owoeye of the Federal High Court, Lagos has convicted and sentenced one Olukeye Adeayo Olalekan to a total of 76 years imprisonment after finding him guilty on all 18 counts brought against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

The defendant was arraigned on an 18-count charge by the EFCC’s counsel Bilkisu Buhar-Bala
on an offences relating to the distribution and procurement of child pornography, cyberstalking, retention of proceeds of fraud, disguising the origin of fraudulent funds, and obtaining property under false pretences.

Specifically:

Counts 1, 2, and 3 involved the offences of distributing and procuring child pornography, contrary to Section 23(1)(c) and Section 23(1)(f), and punishable under Section 23(1) of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, Etc) Act, 2015.

Count 4 dealt with cyberstalking, contrary to and punishable under Section 24(2)(c) of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, Etc) Act, 2015.

Counts 5 through 9 related to the retention of proceeds of fraud, contrary to Section 16(2)(d) and punishable under Section 18(3) of the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.

Counts 10 to 14 focused on disguising the origin of proceeds of fraud, contrary to Section 16(2)(a) and punishable under Section 16(3) of the same Act.

Counts 15 to 18 charged the defendant with obtaining property under false pretences, contrary to Section 1(1)(a) and punishable under Section 1(2) of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Related Offences Act, 2006.

Olalekan initially pleaded not guilty when he was arraigned on September 6, 2023, before Justice Y.G. Ringim.

The case was later reassigned and heard de novo before Justice Kehinde Ogundare and subsequently, again de novo, before Justice Owoeye.

Following his bail application, which the court reviewed and granted, trial proceedings commenced in earnest.

During the trial, the prosecution called five witnesses, including two investigators (PW1 and PW2). Their testimonies formed a critical part of the prosecution’s case.

Buhari said that Investigations revealed that the British Columbia Serious Crime Unit had opened an inquiry into the murder of 14-year-old Robin Janjus, who was found dead at home. Digital forensics on the victim’s phone led authorities to social media accounts operated by the defendant.

An undercover operation was subsequently launched, revealing that the defendant had posed as a female from North Carolina. Through platforms such as Snapchat and Instagram, he solicited and obtained property under false pretences, threatened to transmit nude images of minors, and engaged in multiple fraudulent transactions involving gift cards and cryptocurrency.