EFCC, Immigration Repatriate 51 More Foreigners Jailed For Internet Fraud
THECONSCIENCE NG reports that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) have repatriated 51 more foreign nationals convicted and sentenced for cyber-terrorism and internet fraud.
The repatriated foreign nationals include 50 Chinese and one Tunisian.
The additional repatriation brought the total convicted and deported foreign nationals to 102 in the exercise that commenced on Friday, August 15, 2025.
The convicts were among the 192 foreign nationals arrested during a sting operation by the anti-graft agency in Lagos, following actionable intelligence about the operations of one of the largest foreign-led cybercrime syndicates in Nigeria.
Further deportations have been scheduled for the coming days.
Forty-two out of the 192 Chinese and Philippine nationals convicted by the Federal High Court, Lagos were deported back to their home countries last Sunday.
The deportees were part of a larger group of 759 persons arrested by the EFCC during a major raid on December 10, 2024, at Oyin Jolayemi Street, Victoria Island, Lagos.
The syndicate had been operating a large-scale cyber fraud and Ponzi scheme before being rounded up in a joint operation.
According to the EFCC, which prosecuted the cases, a total of 192 foreigners—comprising Chinese and Philippine nationals—were convicted in connection with the scam.
Several of the charges included allegations of using fake identities online to defraud victims, training employees of Genting International Co. Limited in fraudulent practices, and other offences under the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Related Offences Act, 2006.
The EFCC explained that the charges highlighted serious crimes aimed at undermining Nigeria’s security and financial integrity through cybercrime and fraudulent activities.
At their conviction following a plea bargain agreement, the courts had ordered that they be deported back to their countries after they complete their jail terms.
EFCC Chairman, Ola Olukoyede, described the convictions and deportations as a milestone in Nigeria’s fight against cybercrime and financial fraud.
