A Federal High Court in Ikoyi, Lagos, has sentenced six Chinese nationals to one year imprisonment each for cyber-terrorism and internet fraud.
The court, presided over by Justice D.I. Dipeolu and Justice A.O. Faji sentenced the six Chinese for cyber-terrorism on Monday.
The convicts are JIA You (a.k.a. A. You), Wang Zheng Feng (a.k.a. Feng), Liu San Hua, Chen Wen Yuan, LIU BEIXING, and WEN ZONG XU (a.k.a. LI LONG).
“They 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 separate count charges of cyberterrorism and internet fraud in February 2025 by the Lagos Zonal Directorate 1 of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC.”
One of the charges reads, “That you, LUO JIA YOU (a.k.a. A. YOU), sometimes in December 2024 at Lagos, Nigeria, within the jurisdiction of this Honorable Court, willfully caused to be accessed computer systems used for the purpose of destabilizing and destroying the economy and social structure of Nigeria, and you hereby committed an offense contrary to and punishable under Section 18 of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, etc.) Act, 2015 (as Amended, 2024) and Section 2(3) of the Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition Act, 2022).”
The suspects initially pleaded “not guilty” to the charges when they were read to them.
However, during the sitting on Monday, June 23, 2025, they changed their “not guilty plea” to “guilty.”
In view of their pleas, the prosecution counsel, Babatunde Sonoiki, U. S. Kyari, and B. M. Isah, respectively, prayed the court to convict and sentence them accordingly.
Consequently, the court convicted and sentenced each of the defendants to one year of imprisonment starting from the date of arrest on December 10, 2025, with a fine in the sum of N1,000,000 (one million naira) each.
The judge further ordered that upon completion of their prison sentence, the Comptroller General of Immigration should ensure that they are repatriated to their country of origin within seven days.
The mobile phones, computers, laptops, and routers seized from them at the time of arrest were ordered forfeited to the Federal Government of Nigeria.
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