Man in Nigeria sentenced in sextortion of
late Surrey teen
WARNING: This story contains graphic content. Reader discretion is advised. If you or someone you know has been the victim of sextortion and are in immediate danger, call 9-1-1. Other resources include Kids Help Phone - Phone: 1-800-668-6868, VictimLinkBC - Phone: 1-800-563-0808 or visit NeedHelpNow.ca
A 27-year-old man in Nigeria has been sentenced to 76 years imprisonment in connection with the sextortion of a Surrey teen.
During a news conference in 2024 where Surrey RCMP announced that charges had been laid, police did not name the victim, but there was a photo of a teen at the news conference matching the appearance and vital statistics of hockey player Robin Janjua, a South Surrey resident whose death made headlines in February and March 2023.
Olukeye Adedayo Olalekan was sentenced on June 19 in Ikoyi, Lagos, Nigeria to 76 years, to be served concurrently. He was charged with 18 criminal offences, including transmission of child pornography, fraudulent impersonation and sextortion.
"He was sentenced to two years imprisonment on counts one to four of procuring, distributing of child pornography and cyberstalking; four years imprisonment on counts five to 14 of retention and disguising the origin of proceeds of fraud, without an option of fine; seven years imprisonment on counts 15 to 18 of obtaining property under false pretences, without an option of fine. The sentences are to run concurrently," noted a BC RCMP press release Wednesday (June 15).
So, does that mean he was actually sentenced to 7 years not 76? None of these charges seem to relate to his suicide.
On Feb. 13, 2023, police in Surrey were called to the sudden death of a youth in a home. Investigators determined that the youth "had been a victim of financial sextortion, and an investigation was immediately launched." Janjua died by suicide.
Surrey’s serious crime unit took charge of the investigation, called Project Epa. According to investigators, credible evidence was found that the youth had been tricked into sending explicit photos to a suspect online who posed as a teenage girl.
Sgt. Derek Bonner, with the Surrey RCMP serious crime unit, said during the 2024 press conference the interactions took place on Snapchat and Instagram.
The suspect then blackmailed the youth with threats to share the photos with his family and friends unless he complied with demands of purchasing gift cards and sending them to the suspect.
Canada does not have an extradition tready with Nigeria. “In consultation with EFCC, it was decided that based on the evidence, we would continue to support the prosecution in Nigeria,” Bonner said.
Olalekan and another suspect were arrested by the EFCC in Nigeria on August 4, 2023. The second suspect was later released without charges.
In September 2023, Olukeye pleaded not guilty to the charges, according to an EFCC news release.
“Olukeye Adedayo Olalekan (a.k.a hrm877, charlotte 708 and harlilott_716) on or about the 13th February, 2023 in Lagos within the jurisdiction of this Honorable Court intentionally used the Instagram virtual network to create a group…to distribute child pornography and you thereby committed an offence,” reads the release
Supt. Darren Schneider, Investigative Services Officer for the RCMP Surrey Provincial Operations Support Unit said, “The conviction and sentencing of Olukeye Adeayo Olalekan is the result of an intense year-long international investigation.”
“This outcome came from collaborative efforts from the Surrey RCMP, the FBI, the Australian Federal Police and the Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC – Nigerian Federal Law Enforcement Agency). We are grateful to the many partners and agencies who assisted with this investigation. We believe this case delivers a strong message that sextortions and fraud will not be tolerated in our community.”
Police provided a number of resources for people who think they or someone they love is being financially extorted.
Major pornography sites to implement age verification
in Britain
June 26 (UPI) -- Pornhub and other major pornographic websites plan to implement age verification practices in Britain by the end of July in order to comply with a newly implemented Online Safety Act.
Aylo the parent company of Pornhub and various other pornography sharing websites and filming studios said it plans to implement "government approved age assurance methods" by July 25.
The Online Safety Act deadline requires pornographic websites to implement "robust" age verification methods by that date or face fines.
The company did not specify what methods it would implement but British regulator Ofcom has listed several acceptable methods, including facial age estimation, open banking, digital identity services, credit card age checks, email-based age estimation, mobile network operator age checks, and photo ID-matching.
It will be interesting to see if it actually works, and, if it does, how much of a drop in viewers PornHub sees.
Related
"Society has long protected youngsters from products that aren't suitable for them, from alcohol to smoking or gambling," said Oliver Griffiths, Ofcom's group director of online safety, in a statement.
"Now, change is happening. These age checks will bring pornography into line with how we treat adult services in the real world, without compromising access and privacy for over-18s."
New Ofcom research found that 8% of children between the ages of 8 and 14 accessed a porngraphy site or app over a 28-day period, including 19% boys and 11% of girls from 13 to 14 years old.
It also found that 3% of 8 to 9-year-olds -- the youngest demographic in the study -- had accessed pornography during the survey period.
"We know that highly effective age assurance can play a vital role in protecting young users from accessing harmful and inappropriate material on social media and other platforms," said Rani Govender, policy manager for child safety online at the NSPCC.
"It is time tech companies take responsibility for ensuring children have safe, age-appropriate experiences online, and we welcome the progress that Ofcom are making in this space," continued Govender.
According to data from Similiarweb, Pornhub is the most visited porn site around the world.
Aylo's vice president of brand and community Alex Kekesi said Ofcom age verification steps were less intrusive compared to ones that have been pushed for before.
"Ofcom recognizes the scale of the challenge ahead and is approaching it with thorough consideration," she said.
The regulations require that the verification methods don't impede adults from accessing legal pornographic content or put their private information at risk.
Marcus Johnstone from PCD Solicitors said that age checks may not address the problem but instead would bring more attention to the dark web.
"I have cases where clients as young as 14 access the dark web," he added.
"In one case, my client, aged 15, accessed the dark web to buy drugs but also then found access to extreme illegal pornography."
"Any teenager with a phone can now watch and read content that is both illegal and heinous, and is unregulated by any company or agency."
"It is the dark web that is the greatest menace to our society and is a gateway to a world of abuse, exploitation and radicalisation. This is where better policing is required."
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