By Ayomide Otitoju
Nearly two months after announcing the arrest of 193 foreigners and 599 Nigerians in a large-scale operation targeting cryptocurrency investment fraud and romance scams, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has commenced prosecution of some of the suspects.
On Friday, the EFCC arraigned 13 Chinese nationals and a company, Genting International Co. Limited, before Justice Deinde Dipeolu at the Federal High Court in Lagos. Sources indicate that another group of foreign nationals is scheduled to be arraigned before other judges on Monday.
The EFCC’s legal team, led by Director of Legal Affairs Larry Peters Aso, Bilkisu Buhari-Bala, and two others, presented charges against the defendants under Sections 18 and 27 of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, Etc.) Act, 2015, as amended in 2024.
The accused individuals include Wanq Jia Qi (also known as Xiao Tian), Wang Zheng Ming, Liyin Hui, Xiao Hong Will, Zhang Xiuo Lei, Ling Yang (also known as Long Shao Ming), Guo Xiao Fei, Yang Sheng, Wang Zheng Feng (also known as Feng), Chen Wenyuan, Liu Sau Hua, Luo Jia You (also known as You), and Rheign Dela Vega (also known as Rheignal).
The prosecution alleges that the defendants deliberately accessed computer systems to destabilize Nigeria’s constitutional structure, which prohibits cyber-related crimes. They are also accused of recruiting Nigerian youths for identity theft and posing as foreign nationals to gain financial advantage—offences punishable under the Cybercrimes Act.
With the assistance of an interpreter, the charges were read in Mandarin, and all 13 defendants pleaded not guilty. One of them, Wang Zheng Ming, declined legal representation from an EFCC-appointed lawyer, requesting time to hire his own counsel.
Justice Dipeolu adjourned the trial to February 3, 7, 14, and 21, ordering that the defendants be remanded in the Nigeria Correctional Centre pending the determination of their bail applications.
Background on the Landmark Arrest
On December 16, 2024, the EFCC announced the arrest of 792 suspects in a surprise operation targeting cybercrime syndicates. The operation, conducted on December 10, took place at a seven-story building known as the “Big Leaf Building” on No. 7, Oyin Jolayemi Street, Victoria Island, Lagos.
Speaking at the EFCC office in Lagos, Director of Public Affairs Wilson Uwujaren disclosed that the operation was based on months of intelligence gathering and surveillance. Among those arrested were 148 Chinese nationals, 40 Filipinos, two Kharzartans, one Pakistani, and one Indonesian.
The EFCC revealed that the arrested foreign nationals allegedly used the facility as a training hub to instruct Nigerian recruits on initiating fraudulent investment and romance scams while exploiting Nigerian identities for their illicit activities.
Uwujaren noted that the operation dispelled the notion that cyber fraud in Nigeria is solely perpetrated by locals, stating, “Foreigners are taking advantage of Nigeria’s reputation as a hub for fraud to establish criminal enterprises. But as this operation has shown, there will be no hiding place for criminals in Nigeria.”
