“The first batch of deportees is scheduled to leave Nigeria at exactly 2:00 p.m. local time.”
The Nigerian Immigration Service will today deport 42 out of 192 Chinese and Philippine nationals convicted of cyber terrorism and Ponzi scheme offences. The deportees, the first batch of those convicted, are scheduled to leave the country at 2:00 p.m. on Sunday.
The convicts were among 759 suspects arrested during a December 10, 2023 raid on Oyin Jolayemi Street, Victoria Island, Lagos. According to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), the foreigners were part of a syndicate operating a large-scale cyber fraud and Ponzi network.
The EFCC explained that the offences included using fake identities to defraud victims, training employees of Genting International Co. Limited in fraudulent practices, and other breaches of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Related Offences Act, 2006. All convicted persons have now been handed over to Immigration for deportation.
EFCC Chairman Ola Olukoyede hailed the convictions and deportations as a milestone in Nigeria’s fight against cybercrime, pledging intensified investigations and recovery of stolen funds.