FG deports 51 convicted foreign nationals

The Federal Government has deported another batch of 51 foreign nationals convicted and sentenced for cyber-terrorism, internet fraud, and related financial crimes in Lagos State.

This ends the repatriation of the 192 foreigners involved in the crimes.

The convicted foreigners were deported by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), in collaboration with the Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS) and the Nigerian Correctional Service (NCoS).

The EFCC spokesperson, Dele Oyewale, in a statement on Sunday, October 19, 2025, said the deportation exercise followed the arrest and successful prosecution of 759 suspects during a major sting operation conducted by the anti-graft agency in Victoria Island, Lagos, on December 10, 2024.

Oyewale stated that the deportation exercise, which began on August 15, 2025, followed the conviction of the offenders by the Federal High Court in Lagos for offences bordering on cybercrime, money laundering, and ponzi scheme operations.

FG terminates CCECC contract for Port Harcourt–Aba road over poor performance

He noted that the first batch of 42 convicts comprising Chinese and Filipino nationals was deported on August 15.

The EFCC spokesman added: “Subsequent batches followed throughout August and September. The final batch of 51 convicts, including 50 Chinese nationals and one Tunisian, departed Nigeria on October 16, 2025, bringing the total number of repatriated foreigners to 192.

“The deported convicts include nationals of China, the Philippines, Tunisia, Malaysia, Pakistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Timor-Leste. They were deported in coordinated batches between August and mid-October 2025, in accordance with court directives and immigration procedures.”

Oyewale disclosed that all the deported convicts bagged their imprisonment when they were arrested with their Nigerian accomplices believed to be members of a sophisticated cybercrime and ponzi scheme syndicate operating under the cover of Genting International Company Limited.

The Star