A Lagos State High Court has handed down a sweeping 76-year prison sentence to Olukeye Adedayo Olalekan after convicting him of multiple grave offenses, including child pornography, cyberstalking, money laundering, and internet fraud. The verdict, delivered on Thursday, June 20, 2025, by Justice Alexander Owoeye, comes as one of Nigeria’s most severe rulings for cyber-enabled child exploitation.
Olalekan was arraigned by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on an 18-count charge. The court ruled that the prosecution provided overwhelming evidence that the defendant used social media to commit disturbing crimes. Operating under multiple aliases — hrm87, charlotte708, and harlilott_716 — he reportedly created a group on Instagram titled “Expose Janjua Robin Nudes,” which he used to distribute child pornography and cyber-harass individuals.
According to court documents, one of the charges stated that on February 13, 2023, within Lagos jurisdiction, Olalekan deliberately used Instagram to circulate explicit materials involving minors, a clear violation of several provisions of Nigeria’s Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, Etc.) Act, 2015.
Justice Owoeye sentenced the convict to two years each for counts one to four, which dealt with procuring and distributing child pornography and cyberstalking. For counts five through fourteen, which involved laundering and concealing proceeds of fraud, Olalekan was handed four years per count. He received seven years per count for counts fifteen to eighteen related to obtaining property under false pretenses. None of the sentences carried an option of fine.
Though the sentences are to run concurrently, legal analysts have described the conviction as a landmark win for cybercrime and child protection enforcement in Nigeria. The EFCC has praised the ruling as a warning to others exploiting digital platforms for predatory and criminal behavior.
This case has sparked renewed calls for tech accountability, stronger surveillance of illicit digital activity, and collaboration between law enforcement and social media platforms to track, report, and prosecute users who commit online sexual and financial crimes.
With this conviction, Nigeria joins the growing list of countries intensifying legal action against online sexual predators and financial criminals. Advocacy groups are also calling for the psychological rehabilitation of victims involved in the case, many of whom remain anonymous for protection.
