Lagos court jails 9 Chinese for cyber-terrorism, internet fraud

The Federal High Court sitting in Ikoyi, Lagos State, on Monday, July 7, 2025, convicted and sentenced nine Chinese to one year imprisonment each for cyber-terrorism and internet fraud.

The convicted Chinese are Qin Xiao Yong, Luo Mao Yang, Liu Ni Ni, Liu Gang, Sun Qi, Zhang Juan, Li de Wen, Fun Min, and Tan Ming.

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 by the Lagos Zonal Directorate 2 of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

The charge read: “That you, Qin Xiao Yong, Luo Mao Yang, Liu Ni Ni, Liu Gang, Sun Qi (a.k.a Wan Jin Ping), Zhang Juan, Li de Wen, Fun Min, Tan Ming, 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 computer system used for the purpose of destabilising 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.”

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The Chinese nationals initially pleaded “not guilty” to the charge preferred against them.

However, at Monday’s sitting, they changed their “not guilty plea” to “guilty.”

Following their pleas, the prosecution counsel, R.A. Abdulrasheed, prayed the court to convict them accordingly.

The presiding judge, Justice D. E. Osiagor, convicted and sentenced each of the defendants to one year imprisonment starting from the date of arrest on December 10, 2025, with a fine of N1,000,000.

Justice Osiagor also directed the Comptroller General of Immigration to ensure that the convicts are repatriated to their country of origin within seven days.

The judge ordered that the mobile phones, computers, laptop computers, and routers seized from the Chinese nationals at the time of arrest be forfeited to the federal government.

The Star