Lagos court sentences 9 Chinese to one year imprisonment for crypto scam and cyber terrorism

A Nigerian court has sentenced nine Chinese nationals to one year’s imprisonment each for crypto fraud and cyber terrorism. According to a court judgement by the Federal High Court in Lagos on Thursday, June 5, 2025, the convicted individuals changed their plea to “guilty”, after previously pleading “not guilty” to count charges in their early court appearance.

The individuals were part of the 792 members arrested by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) in December for cryptocurrency and romance fraud. The EFCC ambush, tagged the “Eagle Flush Operation”, was recorded as the agency’s highest-ever raid.

The arrested 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 subsequently arraigned on separate one-count charges of cyberterrorism and crypto fraud in February 2025 by the Lagos Zonal Directorate 2 of the EFCC at the Federal High Court in Ikoyi.

The charge against them 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 a computer system used for the purpose of destabilizing 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.”

Initially, the defendants had pleaded “not guilty” to the charges during their first court appearance in February, which then prompted prosecution counsel, Fanen Anum and Ahmed Yerima, to request a trial date. They also asked that the defendants be remanded at a correctional centre, while counsel for the defendants prayed for a short adjournment to file their bail applications.

Also Read: Nigerian bankers collude with foreign hackers to attack their own banks – EFCC Chairman.

In Thursday’s court proceedings and sentencing, EFCC prosecution counsel, Nnaemeka Omewa, requested the court to convict and sentence them based on their guilty plea. The defence counsel did not oppose the request and urged the court to accept the sentencing as proposed.

Following this, Justice D.E. Osiagor ruled that each defendant would serve one year in prison, starting from their date of arrest on December 10, 2024, and were fined N1 million each.

In addition, the court ordered the Comptroller General of Immigration to ensure their repatriation to China within seven days following the completion of their sentence. The convicts also forfeited mobile phones, computers, laptops, and routers seized during their arrest to the Federal Government of Nigeria, as part of the legal proceedings.

EFCC raids on crypto fraud and online scams

Recall that the EFCC on December 10, 2024, arrested 792 suspects for their alleged crimes of cryptocurrency investment fraud and online romance scams. The suspects comprise 148 Chinese, 40 Filipinos, two Kharzartans, one Pakistani, and one Indonesian, while the rest are Nigerians. 

The EFCC, after the raid, described the operation as the largest in a day for the agency and tagged it as a “landmark raid.”

However, the successful conviction of these nine foreign nationals is a significant statement of Nigeria’s stance against cybercrime and financial fraud, particularly within the crypto investment and online scam sectors.

In its continued action, the anti-graft agency arrested 133 suspects following a raid operation on a Ponzi Scheme Academy named Q University (a.k.a Q-Net) in Abuja, in March. It was explained that the academy was recruiting innocent young Nigerians who would be trained to bring more citizens into the scheme with the promise of getting unrealistic profit returns.

Therein, EFCC reinstates its commitment to eradicating crypto scams and promoting anti-corruption by safeguarding the public from opportunistic and predatory operators. It also pledges to monitor every entity in the country towards the growth and development of Nigeria.