A Federal High Court, Lagos on Monday sentenced 17 Chinese nationals to one year imprisonment each for cyber-terrorism.
The court presided over by Justices D. E.Osiagor and Justice D.I. Dipeolu also convicted the accused for internet fraud in a suit brought before it by the Lagos Zonal Directorate 2 of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC.
The convicts are: Yu Hui,( a.k.a A.Bin) , Huang Jin Hui, Fei Fan, LU Qiang , HU Xi Zheng, Sun Zhi Peng, WU Hao, Cong Bing and LI Qiang ( a.k.a Yang Huan Huan).
Others are: Zheng Wei( a.k.a .A Hong) , Cheng Jian, DA Tou, A Wen, Zhang Lei, Huang Zhi, Pan Jiong and Chen Wen Yuan.
The EFCC informed the court that the convicts are among the syndicate of 792 alleged cryptocurrency investment and romance fraud suspects arrested on December 19, 2024 in Lagos during a sting operation tagged ‘Eagle Flush Operation’ conducted by EFCC operatives.
They were subsequently arraigned on a separate one-count charge of cyber- terrorism and internet fraud in February, 2025.
The charge among others reads that they caused 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 and punishable under Section 18(1) of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, etc) Act 2015.
EFCC’s statement on Monday released by the head, media and publicity, Dele Oyewale noted that, “They initially pleaded “not guilty” to the charges preferred against them. However, during Monday’s sitting, they all changed their “not guilty plea” to “guilty.”
Consequently, Justices Osiagor and Dipeolu convicted and sentenced each of the defendants to one year imprisonment , starting from the date of arrest on December 10, 2025, with a fine in the sum of N1,000,000 (One Million Naira only).
The judges directed the Comptroller General of Immigration to ensure that the convicts are repatriated to their country of origin within seven days.
The judges further ordered that the mobile phones, computers, laptop computers and routers seized from them at the time of arrest be forfeited to the Federal Government of Nigeria.
