A Federal High Court sitting in Ikoyi, Lagos has sentenced five Chinese cryptocurrency investors to one year imprisonment each for cyber-terrorism and internet fraud in the country.
The court further ordered that upon completion of their prison sentence, the Comptroller General of Immigration should repatriate the five foreign convicts to their country of origin within seven days.
Justice Dehinde Dipeolu, who presided over the ruling, stated that the punishment is intended to serve as a deterrent to others who may be contemplating violations of the Nigerian Cybercrime Act.
The convicts, Guo Qiang, Yang Shumei, Guo Zhi Yong, Zhang Jia Feng, and Lu Yi Liang, were sentenced after being arraigned by the Lagos Zonal Directorate 1 of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on charges bordering on cyberterrorism and internet fraud.
They were among a syndicate of 792 suspected cryptocurrency investment and romance fraudsters arrested on December 19, 2024, in Lagos during a sting operation tagged “Eagle Flush Operation” conducted by EFCC operatives.
One of the charges reads: “That you, Guo Qiang (aka Wu You You) sometime in December 2024 at Lagos, within the jurisdiction of this Honourabe Court, wilfully caused to be accessed computer system for the purpose of destabilizing and destroying the economy and social structure of Nigeria and thereby committed an offence contrary to and punishable under Section 18 of the Cybercrime (Prohibition, Prevention, Etc) Act, 2015 (As Amended, 2024]”.
After hearing the allegations levelled against them, the five foreigners during Tuesday’s sitting pleaded guilty to the charges.
In view of this, the prosecution counsel, U.S Kyari, prayed the court to convict them as charged.
Consequently, Justice Dipeolu convicted and sentenced each of the defendants to one year imprisonment starting from the date of arrest, with a fine of N1,000,000.00 each.
