Court Jails 9 Chinese Nationals Over Cyber-terrorism, Internet Fraud

Justice Daniel Osiagor of Federal High Court, Lagos, on Monday, convicted and sentenced nine Chinese nationals to one year in prison each for their involvement in cyber-terrorism and internet fraud.

Justice Osiagor jailed the foreigners including Qin Xiao Yong, Luo Mao Yang, Liu Ni Ni, Liu Gang, Sun Qi (also known as Wan Jin Ping), Zhang Juan, Li De Wen, Fun Min, and Tan Ming after they pleaded guilty to the offences.

Before the verdicts were handed down, counsel to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Abdulrasheed Rildwan, had informed the court about a plea bargain agreement approved by the Commission.

Defence lawyers, Folarin Dalmeida and Abdulkadir Wodi confirmed the plea agreement and also urged the court to accept the same as the judgment of the court.

After listening to the lawyers, Justice Osiagor adopted the terms of the plea bargain and sentenced the nine defendants to one year in prison.

He also ordered the forfeiture of all electronic gadgets that were recovered from the convicts during investigations.

The judge also imposed a fine of N1 million on each convict and directed the Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Immigration Service to repatriate them to their home country within seven days after they complete their prison terms.

The convicts were among 193 foreign nationals arrested by some operatives of the EFCC in December 2024 at a seven-storey building on Oyin Jolayemi Street, Victoria Island, Lagos.

The anti-graft agency had arrested 792 suspects during the operation, which was described as the biggest in its history in connection with a global cybercrime and cryptocurrency fraud syndicate.