Justice Dipeolu of the Federal High Court, sitting in Ikoyi, handed down the judgment on October 30, 2026, after Olamilekan pleaded responsible to a one-count cost of cash laundering introduced in opposition to him by the Lagos Zonal Directorate 1 of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC.
A press release by the company stated that the cost was filed beneath Section 18(2)(a) and punishable beneath Section 18(3) of the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.
It learn “That you, Hassan Usman Olamilekan, sometime in 2026 in Lagos within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court indirectly disguised the origin of the sum of $800 (Eight Hundred United States Dollars) in gift cards, which sum forms part of the proceeds of your unlawful activity, and you thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 18(2)(a) and punishable under Section 18(3) of the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022”.
After the defendant entered his responsible plea, an EFCC operative, Ebuka Abanga, reviewed the information of the case earlier than the court.
Justice Dipeolu subsequently discovered Olamilekan responsible and convicted him of the offence.
The court imposed a high-quality of N200,000 on him and ordered him to pay N1 million to the Federal Government of Nigeria as restitution.
He is to stay within the correctional centre till he pays the high-quality and the restitution ordered by the court.
The choose additionally ordered the forfeiture of an iPhone 11 Pro and a Poco C71 cell phone recovered in reference to the offence.
Investigations by the EFCC revealed that Olamilekan, who is eighteen years outdated, claimed to be from the Republic of Benin however was born in Nigeria.
He was reportedly concerned in lottery scams and operated a number of social media and messaging platforms, together with Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Zangi and iMessage.
The investigation additional confirmed that he met his alleged sufferer, Gary Brewer, a United States citizen, by the Zangi utility, the place he posed as a white American girl named Julie Leach.
Olamilekan reportedly instructed Brewer that he had gained a lottery prize of $250 million however wanted cash to activate the winnings earlier than he might declare the prize.
He then persuaded the American to ship him gift playing cards by the messaging platform.
The defendant admitted promoting the gift playing cards by the Cardsonic utility, changing the proceeds to naira and transferring the cash into his grandmother’s OPay account.
He additionally confessed to receiving a complete of $800 from the fraudulent scheme.
Olamilekan was amongst 21 suspected web fraudsters arrested by EFCC operatives hooked up to the Lagos Zonal Directorate 1 throughout a sting operation at Applewood Estate, Orchid Road, Lekki, Lagos State, on October 26, 2026.
The arrest got here 4 days earlier than his conviction and sentencing by the Federal High Court.
