Samuel I Olukade

Court Jails Applewood Estate Suspect for Gift Card Fraud in Lagos Justice Dipeolu of the Federal High Court, sitting in Ikoyi, Lagos, on October 30, 2026, convicted and sentenced one Hassan Usman Olamilekan for offences bordering on money laundering. Olamilekan was convicted following his arraignment by the Lagos Zonal Directorate 1 of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on a one-count charge of money laundering, contrary to Section 18(2)(a) and punishable under Section 18(3) of the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022. The count reads: "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". The defendant pleaded guilty to the charge. Following his plea, the facts of the case were reviewed by an EFCC operative, Ebuka Abanga. The court subsequently found him guilty and convicted him accordingly. Justice Dipeolu sentenced to a fine of N200,000 and ordered him to remit the sum of N1,000,000 (One Million Naira) to the Federal Government of Nigeria. He is to remain in the Correctional centre pending the payment of the fine and restitution. The court also ordered the forfeiture of an iPhone 11 Pro and a Poco C71 mobile phone, being items recovered in connection with the offence. Investigation revealed that Olamilekan, 18, who claimed to hail from the Republic of Benin but was born in Nigeria, was involved in lottery scams and operated several social media platforms, including Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Zangi and iMessage. He reportedly met his victim, one Gary Brewer, a United States citizen, through the Zangi application, where he impersonated a white American woman identified as Julie Leach. Olamilekan told the victim that he had won a lottery prize of $250,000,000 and needed money to activate the winnings before he could claim the prize. He subsequently persuaded the victim to send him gift cards through the Zangi application. The defendant admitted selling the gift cards through the Cardsonic application, converting them to Naira and transferring the proceeds to his grandmother’s OPay account. He confessed to benefiting from a total of $800 from the fraudulent scheme. Olamilekan was among the 21 suspected internet fraudsters arrested by operatives of the Lagos Zonal Directorate 1 of the EFCC during a sting operation at Applewood Estate, Orchid Road, Lekki, Lagos State, on October 26, 2026.