Court convicts 21 foreigners for cybercrime, orders deportation

A federal high court in Abuja has convicted 21 foreign nationals for cybercrime-related offences and ordered each of them to pay a fine of N1 million.

Ekerete Akpan, presiding judge, delivered the ruling on Monday after the defendants entered a plea bargain agreement with the Nigeria Police Force (NPF), which is prosecuting the case.

The 21 convicts are among 109 foreign nationals being tried for offences, including cybercrime, money laundering, and threats to national security.

The judge held that the convicts voluntarily entered the plea bargain agreement and would be released only after paying the stipulated fine.

He also ordered their deportation within six working days and directed that all electronic gadgets used in perpetrating the crimes be forfeited to the federal government.

“The convicts, having entered into the plea bargain voluntarily, are hereby convicted as charged,” the judge ruled.

Among those convicted are Yang Yang (33), Li Xiao Fen (41), Zheng Peng Zhan (28), Shu Huan (20), Feng Guo (29), Zhao Yifan (31), and Shi Hao Jie (28), among others. The lone female convict is Tue Xue Fie, aged 21.

The convicts were represented by Linda Ikpeazu and Julius Mba. The prosecuting counsel was A.A. Egwu.

When asked if the fines had been paid, Ikpeazu replied, “My lord, we are going to pay in the next five minutes.”

Akpan adjourned the matter to October 22 and 23 for the continuation of the trial for the remaining defendants.

The 109 defendants from China, Indonesia, Brazil, the Philippines, Vietnam, and Thailand were first arraigned in 2024 on a six-count charge in a case marked FHC/ABJ/CR/599/2024.

They were accused of cybercrime, money laundering, and unlawful residence in Nigeria.

According to the police, the defendants were arrested at Plot 1906, Cadastral Zone 807, Katampe district, Abuja, where they allegedly operated fraudulent online platforms, including 9f.com, c2.top, and 8pg.top.

The sites were said to be unregistered gambling platforms designed to defraud users.

In one of the charges, the defendants were accused of aiding and conspiring to commit cybercrime by inputting false data into computer systems, intending it to be treated as genuine.

The offence violates section 13 of the Cybercrimes Act (2015, amended 2024).

They were also accused of laundering funds generated from the gambling platforms, contrary to section 18 of the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.

The defendants allegedly overstayed their business permits, which were valid for 30 days, in violation of section 4(2) and punishable under section 44(1)(c) of the Immigration Act, 2015.

The judge had earlier granted each defendant bail in the sum of N1 billion, with five sureties each, required to own property worth N200 million.

While male defendants were remanded in Kuje Correctional Centre, the females were held in Keffi Correctional Centre, pending the fulfilment of their bail conditions.