A Federal High Court sitting in Lagos has sentenced a man, Olukeye Adeayo Olalekan, to 76 years imprisonment for child pornography, cyberstalking, money laundering, and fraud.

Justice Alexander Owoeye delivered the judgment on Thursday after finding Olalekan guilty on all 18 counts filed against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

The charges bordered on the distribution and procurement of child pornography, cyberstalking, retention and concealment of fraudulent funds, and obtaining property under false pretences.

According to the EFCC’s counsel, Mrs. Bilkisu Buhari-Bala, the offences violated multiple provisions of the Cybercrimes Act, 2015, the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Related Offences Act, 2006, and the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.

Olalekan was initially arraigned on September 6, 2023, before Justice Y.G. Ringim, where he pleaded not guilty. The case was subsequently reassigned and heard afresh by Justices Kehinde Ogundare and later Alexander Owoeye.

During the trial, the EFCC presented five witnesses, including two investigators, whose testimonies proved pivotal. Investigations revealed that the British Columbia Serious Crime Unit in Canada had opened an inquiry into the murder of 14-year-old Robin Janjus, whose death led to a digital forensic analysis of her phone.

The probe traced activity to social media accounts operated by Olalekan, who had posed as a female from North Carolina to lure victims. Using platforms like Snapchat and Instagram, he obtained property under false pretences, threatened to share nude images of minors, and carried out fraudulent transactions involving gift cards and cryptocurrency.

Justice Owoeye, in his ruling, found the defendant guilty on all counts and handed down sentences totaling 76 years imprisonment.