A suspect, Olalekan Olukeye, has been charged with 18 counts by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC)’s Lagos Zonal Command with child pornography, money laundering, and retention of proceeds of illegal activities.
Olukeye was arraigned before Justice Tijani Ringim of the Federal High Court sitting in Ikoyi, Lagos, on Friday, September 29, according to a statement issued on Saturday, September 30 by the acting head of media and publicity for the anti-graft agency, Dele Oyewale.
The text on one of the counts is:.
Your name is Olukeye Adedayo Olalekan (a.
k.
You (along with hrm877, charlotte 708, and harlilott_716) violated Section 23(1)(c) of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, Etc.) Act by creating the group “Expose Janjuarobin Nudes” with the intent to distribute child pornography in Lagos within the jurisdiction of this Honorable Court on or about February 13, 2023.
) Act, 2015.
“.
To the allegations brought against him, he entered a “not guilty” plea. In light of the defendant’s plea, the prosecution’s attorney, Rotimi Oyedepo, SAN, requested an expedited trial and the defendant’s detention in a correctional facility from the court.
Oyedepo said that “the international image of Nigeria is in jeopardy, as both the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, RCMP, and the FBI complained to Nigeria about this matter and how it relates to the sudden death of a 14-year-old minor” as he prayed for an expedited hearing of the case.
“.
Attorney for the defendant, P.
O Onikoyin informed the court that his client had submitted a request for bail.
Oyedepo replied by informing the court that the application had just been served to him and that he would need some time to respond.
As a result, the judge mandated that the defendant be remanded in a correctional facility and postponed the case until November 6 and 9, 2023, for the hearing of motions and the start of the trial.
Following intelligence from the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, or RCMP, that the Commission had received, the suspect was apprehended by EFCC agents on August 4, 2023 in the Akute region of Ogun State. He allegedly hacked into some social media accounts, pretended to be a young attractive woman to seduce his unwitting victims, and searched for their sexually explicit photos, including nude pictures of a 14-year-old Canadian boy.
According to the investigation, the suspect later used the 14-year-old’s nude photos to blackmail him, which resulted in his death.
A mobile phone with incriminating documents was taken from him during a search by EFCC agents of his home in Ilaro, Ogun State.
