Connect with us

News

Nine Chinese Jailed For Cybercrimes In Lagos 

Published

on

Justice D. E. Osiagor of the Federal High Court in Ikoyi, Lagos, has sentenced nine Chinese nationals to one year in prison each after convicting them of cyber-terrorism and internet fraud. Their conviction followed a major sting operation carried out by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.
In a statement shared by the EFCC on Tuesday via X, the convicted individuals—LI Dong, Deng Wei Qiang, Huang Bo, Xiong Zhen, Lai Rui Feng, Zhao Xiao Hui, Lui Hai Rong, Lui Gang, and Du Ji Feng—were said to be part of a group of 792 suspected cryptocurrency investment and romance scammers arrested on December 19, 2024.
The EFCC’s Lagos Zonal Directorate 2 filed one count each against the nine individuals in February 2025, charging them with cyber-terrorism and internet fraud.
The charge read, “That you, LI Dong, Deng Wei Qiang, Huang Bo, Xiong Zhen, Lai Rui Feng, Zhao Xiao Hui, Lui Hai Rong, Lui Gang and Du Ji Feng, sometime in December, 2024 at Lagos, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, conspired amongst yourselves to commit an offence to wit: cause to be accessed computer system used for the purpose of destabilising and destroying the economy and social structure of Nigeria and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 27 (1) (b) and punishable under Section 18(1) of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, etc) Act 2015.”
Though they initially entered “not guilty” pleas, the defendants later changed their pleas to “guilty” during a court hearing held on June 5, 2025.
The prosecution counsel, Nnaemeka Omewa, requested the court to issue convictions and sentences, a request that was agreed to by the defence counsel.
Justice Osiagor then sentenced each of the nine defendants to one year imprisonment, to run from the date of their arrest on December 10, 2025, and imposed a fine of N1,000,000 on each of them.
The judge also directed the Comptroller General of Immigration to arrange for the convicts to be deported to their home country within seven days after they complete their sentences.
Furthermore, the court ordered that the phones, computers, laptops, and routers confiscated during the EFCC’s “Eagle Flush Operation” be forfeited to the Federal Government.
Click to comment

You must be logged in to post a comment Login

Leave a Reply

Cancel reply
Advertisement

Trending