A Federal High Court sitting in Lagos has sentenced seven Chinese nationals to one year in prison for their involvement in a large-scale cyberterrorism and internet fraud operation uncovered by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
The convicts — Peng Li Huan, Zhang Jin Rong, He Kun, Rachelle Cabalona, Caselyn Pionela, Guo Long Long, and Zhang Hua Zhai — were among the over 700 suspects apprehended in December 2024 during a massive anti-cybercrime raid on a building located on Oyin Jolayemi Street, Victoria Island.
Justices Ayokunle Faji, Chukwujekwu Aneke, and Yellim Bogoro, who presided over the cases in separate judgments delivered on Friday, convicted the foreigners following their guilty pleas and plea bargain agreements with the prosecution.
The EFCC had arraigned them on one-count charges bordering on cyberterrorism and economic sabotage, accusing them of willfully accessing computer systems to destabilise Nigeria’s economic and social infrastructure.
The syndicate reportedly recruited Nigerian youths to engage in identity theft and impersonation of foreign nationals to defraud unsuspecting victims.
EFCC prosecutors Bilkisu Buhari-Bala, Chineye Okezie, and Banjo Temitope told the court that the accused persons had voluntarily entered into plea bargains, which were filed on June 20, 2025.
Following their conviction, each of the seven was sentenced to one year imprisonment with an option of ₦1 million fine.
The court also ordered the Nigerian Immigration Service to deport them within seven days of completing their jail terms.
The offence contravenes Section 18 of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, etc.) Act, 2015 (as amended in 2024), and Section 2(3)(d) of the Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.
The EFCC had described the case as one of the most elaborate cybercrime crackdowns in Nigeria’s history, linking the network to a transnational Ponzi operation targeting both local and international victims.
Authorities say the sentencing sends a strong message to foreign cybercriminal syndicates operating within Nigerian territory.
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