 on Thursday arraigned nine Chinese nationals and a company, Genting International Co. Ltd., for alleged internet fraud.){kind=link}
The Lagos Zonal Directorate of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on Thursday arraigned nine Chinese nationals and a company, Genting International Co. Ltd., for alleged internet fraud.
The defendants, identified as Su Dong Fu, Zheng Xian Tao, Wang Shi Long, Pan Cai Qi, Ting Liao, Fan Jia, Feng Li Cani, Lu Yong Yao, and Yang Chen Cheng, were arraigned before Justice C.J. Aneke of the Federal High Court in Ikoyi, Lagos, on charges related to cyber-terrorism, internet fraud, possession of fraudulent documents, and identity theft.
The EFCC said they were part of a larger syndicate of 792 individuals arrested on December 10, 2024, during a surprise operation dubbed “Eagle Flush Operation.” The operation targeted cryptocurrency investment and romance fraud schemes allegedly orchestrated to destabilize Nigeria’s economy and social structure.
One of the charges reads: “That you, Zeng Xian Tao (aka A Tao and Zhou Tao) and Genting International Co. Limited, sometime in December 2024 at Lagos, Nigeria, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, willfully caused to be accessed, computer systems used for the purpose of destabilizing and destroying the economy and social structure of Nigeria, thereby committing an offence contrary to and punishable under Section 18 of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, Etc.) Act, 2015 (as amended, 2024) and Section 2(3) of the Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.”
All defendants pleaded “not guilty” to the charges. In response, the prosecution counsel, M.K. Bashir, requested trial dates and urged the court to remand the defendants in custody.
Justice Aneke granted the prosecution’s request, adjourning the case to February 21 and March 7, 2025, for trial. The defendants were ordered to be remanded at the Ikoyi Correctional Centre pending the commencement of the trial.
In December 2024, the EFCC arrested 792 individuals in Lagos for alleged involvement in cryptocurrency investment fraud and romance scams; among them were 148 Chinese and 40 Filipino nationals.
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