On Sunday, the Nigerian Immigration Service started deporting 42 of the 192 Chinese and Philippine nationals found guilty of Ponzi scheme and cyberterrorism offences.
The foreigners entered into a plea bargain with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), and the Federal High Court in Lagos sentenced them to one year in prison each. Additionally, the court fined each convicted person N1 million.
According to an EFCC source who spoke to the media on Sunday, the first group of deportees left Lagos at 2:00 p.m. local time, with more scheduled to depart on Monday and Tuesday.
“Milestone in Nigeria’s fight against cybercrime”
According to the EFCC, before being dismantled in a coordinated operation, the syndicate operated a massive cyber fraud and Ponzi scheme that targeted victims overseas.
The foreigners who were found guilty were turned over to the NIS for deportation.
Ola Olukoyede, the commission’s chair, referred to the convictions and deportations as “a milestone in Nigeria’s fight against cybercrime.”
In keeping with President Bola Tinubu’s anti-corruption agenda, he said the agency would step up investigations, retrieve embezzled money, and restore national honour.
The convictions came after 759 people, including Nigerians, Chinese, Arabs, and Filipinos, were taken into custody during the raid on Oyin Jolayemi Street, Victoria Island, Lagos, in December 2024.
Forfeiture of over $222,000 USDT
Techpression recently reported that the Federal High Court in Lagos ordered the final forfeiture of digital assets (USDT) valued at $222,729.86 that can be linked to certain Chinese nationals who were found guilty.
In a July 18 ruling on an ex parte application submitted by EFCC attorney Zeenat Atiku, the judge, Alexander Owoeye, determined that the assets were the proceeds of online fraud and cyberterrorism.
According to court records, the syndicate was run by Genting International Co. Limited, a Nigerian-registered business that kept a Union Bank account that received more than N2.26 billion between April and December 2024.
The money mostly passed through cryptocurrency vendors, according to the EFCC’s investigators.
Background story
Seven hundred ninety-two suspects, including Nigerians, Chinese, Arabs, and Filipino nationals, were apprehended in the December 2024 raid, which is regarded as one of Nigeria’s biggest anti-cybercrime operations.
They were arrested at the Big Leaf Building, a seven-story structure at 7 Oyin Jolayemi Street in Victoria Island, Lagos.
Wilson Uwujaren, the EFCC’s director of public affairs, revealed the development during a media briefing on December 16, 2024.
According to Mr. Olukoyede, who Mr. Uwujaren represented, the syndicate had converted the building, which was intended to look like a genuine corporate facility, into a training ground for Nigerians in romance and investment scams.
“The foreign nationals trained their Nigerian recruits to target victims online using fake identities across WhatsApp, Instagram, and Telegram,” he said.
According to the EFCC, each Nigerian recruit had a desktop computer and a mobile device, and 500 SIM cards from regional telecom providers were kept on one floor alone.
They used scripts, foreign phone numbers, and fictitious personas, mostly posing as women, to trick victims, who were mainly from the US, Canada, Mexico, and Europe, into falling for romance scams or investing in a fraudulent platform.
According to the EFCC, the Nigerian accomplices were chosen based on their computer proficiency, particularly their typing speed. Those who passed an initial test were given a two-week induction on impersonation techniques.
“Once they established contact and built trust with victims, the foreign syndicate leaders would take over the scam and block their Nigerian collaborators from further access to the chats, keeping them in the dark about ongoing transactions,” he said.
The Nigerian accomplices did not receive official corporate channels for payment or employment letters.
“They were paid in cash or via third-party accounts, and many never met the actual ringleaders,” Mr Olukoyede added.
International collaboration to track down more conspirators
The EFCC stated that it was working with partners worldwide to track down additional conspirators and ascertain the entire extent of the fraud, including any connections to international criminal networks.
Contrary to popular belief, he emphasised that foreign nationals are the masterminds behind many large-scale scams linked to Nigeria, taking advantage of the nation’s international reputation.
“Foreigners are taking advantage of our unfortunate image to conceal their operations. But this operation proves that Nigeria will not remain a haven for international fraudsters,” he said.
Michael Wetkas, the acting zonal director of the Lagos Directorate, also spoke at the briefing and advocated for increased media assistance in the battle against financial and economic crimes.
Vehicles, mobile phones, laptops, and desktop computers were retrieved during the operation.