Nine Chinese nationals have been sentenced to one year in prison in Nigeria after pleading guilty to cybercrime charges. The EFCC says they were part of a syndicate that trained and exploited Nigerian youths for online fraud.
A Federal High Court in Nigeria has sentenced nine Chinese nationals to one year in prison for their involvement in a cybercrime syndicate that trained young Nigerians to commit online fraud. The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) arrested the group during a December raid in Lagos that led to 780 arrests, including 599 Nigerians and 193 foreign nationals.
The operation, dubbed Eagle Flush, targeted a network allegedly engaged in cyberterrorism, identity theft, and romance scams. EFCC investigators said the syndicate used “advanced technology and social engineering techniques to defraud individuals and institutions globally.”
The nine convicts—Xiang Hui, Hai Rong, Liu Gang, Ji Geng, Li Dong, Huang Bo, Xhiong Zhen, Lai Feng, and Deng Qiang—entered a plea deal and will be deported after serving their sentences. Each was fined ₦1 million.
A Nigerian witness said she was recruited via WhatsApp and confined to the syndicate’s premises. China’s ambassador to Nigeria expressed regret, promising cooperation and reaffirming Beijing’s zero-tolerance stance on cybercrime.