A Federal High Court sitting in Ikoyi, Lagos has sentenced nine 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 nine foreign convicts to their country of origin within seven days, to serve as deterrent to others who may be nursing the ambition of contravening the Nigerian cybercrime act.
Those convicted by Justice D. E. Osiagor after many hours of proceeding were: LI Dong, Deng Wei Qiang, Huang Bo, Xiong Zhen, Lai Rui Feng , Zhao Xiao Hui, Lui Hai Rong, Lui Gang and Du Ji Feng.
The nine Chinese, who were convicted by the court after being unable to prove their case before the Judge, were said to be among the syndicate of 792 alleged cryptocurrency investment and romance fraud suspects arrested barely six month in Lagos by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) during a sting operation tagged “Eagle Flush Operation” conducted by EFCC operatives.
They were subsequently arraigned on one-count separate charges of cyber- terrorism and internet fraud in February, 2025 by the Lagos Zonal Directorate 2 of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Ikoyi, Lagos.
The charge reads: “ 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.”
After listening to the charges read in a language the foreigners could understand, the cryptocurrency investors pleaded not guilty to the charges, claiming that they have not violated any of the provision in the country’s cybercrime act.
However, during subsequent sitting, the foreigners withdrew their earlier stand and pleaded guilty to the charges brought before the court by EFCC.
In view of their pleas, the prosecution counsel, Nnaemeka Omewa, prayed the court to convict and sentence them accordingly, a request which the defence counsel agreed with and appeal for a lenient sentence.
Consequently, Justice Osiagor convicted and sentenced each of the defendants to one year imprisonment starting from the date of arrest on December 10, 2024, with a fine in the sum of N1 million each and ordered that their mobile phones, computers, laptops and routers seized by the EFCC at the time of arrest be forfeited to the Federal Government of Nigeria.
