The Federal High Court, Lagos, has ordered the repatriation (deportation) of 9 Chinese nationals from Nigeria over cyber-terrorism and internet fraud offenses in the state.
This is according to a statement by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on Friday.
The statement said the Lagos Zonal Directorate 1 of the EFCC, on Friday July 18, 2025, secured the conviction and sentencing of the 9 deported Chinese, which includes suspects named “Shi Yang Xiong, Lu Yong Yao, Yang Chen Cheng, Feng Li Cai, Li Niue, Li Kuang Kuang and Dan Jia (a.k.a. Bu Fan).”
EFCC Case
The suspects were said to have been arraigned on separate charges bordering on cyber-terrorism and internet fraud before Justice Chukwuemeka Aneke and Justice Dehinde Dipeolu, respectively.
One of the charges reads: “That you, Yang Chen Cheng, on or about the 11th of December 2024, in Lagos, within the jurisdiction of this Honorable Court, willfully caused to be accessed, computer systems organized to seriously destabilize and destroy the fundamental economic and social structure of Nigeria when you procured/employed Nigerian youths for identity theft and to hold themselves out as persons of foreign nationality, with the intent to gain financial advantage for yourselves and you thereby committed an offence contrary to and punishuble under Section 18 of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, Etc) Act, 2015 (As amended 2024).”
They all confirmed the development and pleaded “guilty” to the charges when they were read to them by the registrar.
What transpired in court
- In view of their pleas, the prosecution counsel, M.K. Bashir, Babatunde Sonoiki, and B. M. Isha r, prayed the court to convict the defendants and order the forfeiture of all the items recovered from them to the Federal Government of Nigeria.
- Subsequently, the Judges found them guilty of the charges and convicted them accordingly.
“All the convicts were sentenced to one year imprisonment, with a fine of N1,000,000.00 (One Million Naira),” the judge ruled.
The Judge also “ordered that upon completion of their sentences, the Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Immigration Service, NIS, should ensure that they are repatriated to their country of origin within seven days. ”
All items recovered from them were ordered forfeited to the Nigerian Government.
What to know
The development comes weeks after the Federal High Court, sitting in Ikoyi, Lagos, had approved the deportation of four Filipinos over internet fraud offenses related to cybercrime.
The court convicted and sentenced the four Filipinos and seven Nigerians for cyberterrorism and internet fraud, according to a statement by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
Justice Yellim Bogoro had passed the judgment following a case instituted by the Lagos Zonal Directorate 1 of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Awolowo Road, Ikoyi, Lagos.
