Lagos court jails 18-year-old suspect over $800 gift card fraud

An 18-year-old suspected internet fraudster, Hassan Usman Olamilekan, has been convicted and sentenced by a Federal High Court in Lagos for laundering $800 obtained through a gift card scam involving a United States citizen.

Justice Dipeolu of the Federal High Court, sitting in Ikoyi, handed down the judgment on October 30, 2026, after Olamilekan pleaded guilty to a one-count charge of money laundering brought against him by the Lagos Zonal Directorate 1 of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC.

A statement by the agency said that the charge was filed under Section 18(2)(a) and punishable under Section 18(3) of the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.

The charge alleged that Olamilekan disguised the origin of $800 in gift cards, which formed part of the proceeds of his unlawful activities.

It read “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 guilty plea, an EFCC operative, Ebuka Abanga, reviewed the facts of the case before the court.

Justice Dipeolu subsequently found Olamilekan guilty and convicted him of the offence.

The court imposed a fine of N200,000 on him and ordered him to pay N1 million to the Federal Government of Nigeria as restitution.

He is to remain in the correctional centre until he pays the fine and the restitution ordered by the court.

The judge also ordered the forfeiture of an iPhone 11 Pro and a Poco C71 mobile phone recovered in connection with the offence.

Investigations by the EFCC revealed that Olamilekan, who is 18 years old, claimed to be from the Republic of Benin but was born in Nigeria.

He was reportedly involved in lottery scams and operated several social media and messaging platforms, including Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Zangi and iMessage.

The investigation further showed that he met his alleged victim, Gary Brewer, a United States citizen, through the Zangi application, where he posed as a white American woman named Julie Leach.

Olamilekan reportedly told Brewer that he had won a lottery prize of $250 million but needed money to activate the winnings before he could claim the prize.

He then persuaded the American to send him gift cards through the messaging platform.

The defendant admitted selling the gift cards through the Cardsonic application, converting the proceeds to naira and transferring the money into his grandmother’s OPay account.

He also confessed to receiving a total of $800 from the fraudulent scheme.

Olamilekan was among 21 suspected internet fraudsters arrested by EFCC operatives attached to the Lagos Zonal Directorate 1 during a sting operation at Applewood Estate, Orchid Road, Lekki, Lagos State, on October 26, 2026.

The arrest came four days before his conviction and sentencing by the Federal High Court.