Court jails nine Chinese nationals for cybercrime, economic sabotage; orders deportation | #cybercrime | #infosec

The Federal High Court in Lagos has convicted and sentenced nine Chinese nationals, including two women, to one year imprisonment each for economic sabotage and financial terrorism.

The trial judge, Daniel Osiagor, handed down the sentences after the convicts entered into a plea bargain agreement with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

The convicts are Zhao Xiang Hui, Liu Hai Rong, Liu Gang, Du Ji Geng, Li Dong, Huang Bo, Xhiong Zhen, Lai Rui Feng, and Deng Wei Qiang.

In addition to the custodial sentence, the court ordered each to pay a fine of N1 million.

Their conviction follows the 10 December 2024 raid by EFCC operatives on the sixth floor of a building on Oyin Jolayemi Street, Victoria Island, Lagos.

The operation, described by the agency as its largest single-day cybercrime crackdown, resulted in the arrest of over 700 individuals, including 158 foreign nationals, for alleged involvement in cyber terrorism and economic sabotage.

At the resumed hearing on Thursday, EFCC counsel Nnemeka Omewa informed the court that the nine Chinese nationals had reached a plea deal with the Commission, which the prosecution found satisfactory.

Defence counsel Folarin Damela confirmed the arrangement and urged the court to adopt its terms.

The amended one-count was read to the defendants in open court, to which all nine pleaded guilty and affirmed that they voluntarily signed the plea bargain agreement.

Judgement

Following the guilty pleas, Mr Omewa urged the court to convict and sentence the defendants in line with the agreement.

With no objections from the defence, Mr Osiagor convicted them accordingly.

The judge ruled that the prison terms would run from 10 December 2024—the date of their arrest—and ordered the forfeiture of all items recovered from them, including furniture, computers, and laptops, to the Federal Government.

He also directed the Nigerian Immigration Service to deport the convicts to China upon completion of their sentences.

According to the EFCC, the convicts were part of a cybercrime syndicate that accessed computer systems to destabilise Nigeria’s economic and social structures.

They were accused of recruiting Nigerian youths to commit identity theft and pose as foreign nationals for financial fraud.

Their actions violated Section 18 of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, etc.) Act, 2015 (as amended in 2024), and Section 2(3)(d) of the Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.

Related convictions

The sentencing of the Chinese nationals follows a string of convictions stemming from the December 2024 cybercrime raid.

PREMIUM TIMES reported that another Federal High Court in Ikoyi, Lagos, convicted eight Filipino nationals of similar offences.

The judge, Alexander Owoeye, sentenced each to one year in prison with an option of a N1 million fine.

The convicts—Beverlyn Casino, Mae Eribal, Mary Grace Dela Cruz, Jamal Polea, Tricia Castro, Rai Camara, Cherry De Leon, and Danica Jarapan—pleaded guilty to charges bordering on cyber terrorism and possession of fraudulent documents.

In one of the charges, Ms Casino was accused of accessing computer systems to orchestrate identity theft by procuring Nigerian youth to pose as foreigners. Their actions also violated provisions of the amended Cybercrimes Act and the Terrorism Prevention Act.

Mr Owoeye ordered that their sentences also take effect from the date of their arrest.

He directed that all digital devices recovered from them be forfeited to the Nigerian government and instructed the Immigration Service to deport them to the Philippines within seven days of completing their jail terms.

In a separate but related ruling, Yellin Bogoro, a judge of the same court, convicted another set of 12 Filipino nationals under a plea bargain arrangement. Each was sentenced to one year in prison, fined N1 million, and ordered to be deported after serving their time.

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The EFCC identified the convicts as members of a transnational cybercrime syndicate operating from Lagos and using advanced technology and social engineering techniques to defraud individuals and institutions globally.

Ongoing trials

Meanwhile, at least four Filipino nationals arrested during the December 2024 crackdown—Marj Maranga, Zara Fabian, Dominique Medina, and Rachelle Cabalona—have pleaded not guilty and are currently standing trial.

The EFCC has vowed to prosecute all suspects not covered by plea bargains, and it is working with foreign missions to ensure international accountability for cyber-related crimes.