WARNING: This story contains the topic of suicide.
Police say a man in Nigeria has been charged in connection to a financial sextortion that tragically resulted in the sudden death of a teen in Surrey.
In a news conference Tuesday (Feb. 6), the Surrey RCMP provided an update on the sudden death of a 14-year-old that happened on Feb. 13, 2023.
Adedayo Olukeye, 26, is being held in custody awaiting trial in Nigeria on charges including possession and distribution of child pornography, attempts at extortion by threats, money laundering and retention of proceeds of an unlawful act.
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.
Surrey RCMP say a 26 year old man is in custody in Nigeria in connection with the death of a 14 y/o male in Surrey in Feb 2023 @SurreyNowLeader pic.twitter.com/GnwhIZzn8i
— Anna Burns (@AnnaBBurns) February 6, 2024
Surrey’s serious crime unit took conduct of the investigation, now dubbed 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.
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.
Sgt. Derek Bonner, with the Surrey RCMP serious crime unit, said the interactions took place on Snapchat and Instagram.
“The interactions themselves lasted only minutes,” Bonner said. It was “one interaction within one day, that was a short term communication back and forth,” he added.
“The offender doesn’t need to be speaking with the victim for a long period of time in order for that to have a serious, potentially life-altering impact on that victim,” Sgt. Tammy Lobb said.
In May 2023, two suspects were identified in Nigeria. In July, Surrey RCMP officers travelled to Lagos, Nigeria, working with the FBI, Australian Federal Polic and the Economic and Financial Crime Commission of Nigeria (EFCC).
In August, the two suspects were arrested. The other suspect was later released without charges.
Olukeye remains in custody awaiting trial in Nigeria.
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.
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
Lobb confirmed Olukeye is not currently linked to any other sexual extortion cases in Surrey.
The victim’s family released a statement.
“It has been almost one year since we lost our son. He loved hockey and he loved life. Not a day goes by that we don’t miss him. He was an innocent child who was taken advantage of due to his innocence.
As we grieve the loss of our son, we want other parents to know this could happen to anyone. Talk to your kids about Internet Safety and keep the door to communication open so they can come to you for help.
It brings us some comfort to know the person responsible is being held accountable. We hope this does not happen to another child. We want to thank the Surrey RCMP who has provided us with support and kept us apprised of what was going on throughout the investigation.
As we grieve the loss of our beloved son, we ask for privacy.”
The Surrey RCMP held the news conference on Safer Internet Day to remind the public about the “growing threat of sextortion,” Lobb said.
In 2022- 2023, police in Surrey received 500 calls reporting sexual extortion, Sgt. David Knight said. Police saw a 44 per cent increase in 2023 in the number of sextortion cases reported from the previous year. The victims ranged in age from 10 to 71 years old, and the majority of them were male, Knight said.
“It is important to note that these are reported incidents and that we do not know the total number of sextortion that go unreported. Therefore, we urge youth and parents to come forward with this information,” Knight said.
“Online child sexual extortion is a borderless crime and these offenders have direct access to our children by targeting them through their phones, mobile devices, computers and gaming consoles,” Knight said.
“Our message to youth, are not alone and there is life after images. It is important to know that if this happens to you, you will not be in trouble with the police and you’re not to blame for the situation,” Knight said.
“Please reach out to somebody and talk about it. There is help available.”
Police provided a number of resources for people who think they or someone they love is being financially extorted.