A Federal High Court in Ikoyi, Lagos, presided over by Justice Alexander Owoeye, on Thursday, sentenced Olukeye Adeayo Olalekan to 76 years in prison after convicting him on all 18 counts of cyber-related crimes brought against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
Olalekan is answering questions about a range of offences, including child pornography, cyberstalking, money laundering, and obtaining property under false pretences.
According to the charge sheet, the offences span multiple laws. Specifically, counts 1 to 3: Involved distributing and procuring child pornography, contrary to Section 23(1)(c) and 23(1)(f) of the Cybercrimes Act, 2015, and punishable under Section 23(1); Count 4 touched on cyberstalking under Section 24(2)(c) of the same Act; Counts 5 to 9 focuses on the retention of proceeds of fraud, in violation of Section 16(2)(d) of the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022; Counts 10 to 14 charged the defendant with disguising the origin of fraudulent funds, contrary to Section 16(2)(a): and counts 15 to 18 alleged obtaining property by false pretences, an offence under Section 1(1)(a) of the Advance Fee Fraud Act, 2006.
The convict had initially pleaded not guilty when arraigned before Justice Y.G. Ringim on September 6, 2023.
However, the matter was reassigned de novo, first to Justice Kehinde Ogundare, and then to Justice Owoeye, where it proceeded to full trial.
After his bail was granted, the EFCC presented five prosecution witnesses, including two investigators.
While the trial lasted, counsel for the EFCC, Buhari-Bala revealed that investigations were triggered by a report from the British Columbia Serious Crime Unit, which was probing the murder of 14-year-old Robin Janjus, adding that digital forensics on the victim’s phone pointed investigators to social media accounts operated by the defendant.
“An undercover sting operation later confirmed that Olalekan had been impersonating a woman from North Carolina, using platforms like Snapchat and Instagram to solicit nude images from minors, threaten victims, and engage in fraudulent transactions involving gift cards and cryptocurrency”, the prosecutor stated.
Justice Owoeye, upon finding Olalekan guilty on all counts, handed down the cumulative 76-year sentence.
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