The Federal Government has deported 42 Chinese and Philippine nationals convicted of cybercrime and Ponzi schemes in Nigeria.
The deportation, carried out on Sunday by the Nigerian Immigration Service in collaboration with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), followed the judgment of the Federal High Court in Lagos, which had sentenced the foreign nationals to one year in prison each.
However, the convicts secured a plea bargain with the EFCC.
In addition to their jail terms, the court imposed a fine of N1 million on each convict.
Their conviction stemmed from a December 10, 2024, raid on Oyin Jolayemi Street, Victoria Island, Lagos, where 759 suspects, including Nigerians, Chinese, Arabs, and Filipinos, were arrested.
According to Channels TV, the first batch of deportees departed Nigeria around 2:00 p.m. on Sunday, while others already convicted are expected to leave on Monday and Tuesday.
Investigations revealed that the foreigners had been running a large-scale cybercrime and Ponzi scheme before they were apprehended. In total, 192 foreigners, including Chinese and Philippine nationals, have so far been convicted in connection with the scam.
The charges against them ranged from using fake online identities to defraud unsuspecting victims to training employees of Genting International Co. Limited in fraudulent practices, alongside other offences under the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Related Offences Act, 2006.
The EFCC stressed that these crimes posed a serious threat to Nigeria’s security and financial integrity.
EFCC Chairman, Ola Olukeyede, described the convictions and deportations as “a milestone in Nigeria’s fight against cybercrime and financial fraud.”
