Lagos, Nigeria – A Federal High Court in Lagos has convicted and sentenced 18 foreign nationals to one year imprisonment each for cybercrime, fraud, impersonation, and attempting to destabilise Nigeria’s constitutional structure. The convictions follow a plea bargain agreement with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
The foreign nationals were among 193 individuals arrested by EFCC operatives in December 2024 at a seven-storey building on Victoria Island, Lagos. These arrests were part of a larger operation that apprehended a total of 792 suspects linked to a global cybercrime and cryptocurrency fraud syndicate.
In separate rulings, Justices Chukwujekwu Aneke and Yellim Bogoro delivered the judgments. Justice Aneke sentenced six defendants, including Eliza Gapparova, Diana Kadyrbekova, and Nasrine Chouaieb, along with Jiang Han Hua, Liao Zhang, and Genting International Co. Limited. Their charges included cyberterrorism, identity theft, and using Nigerian youths to impersonate foreign nationals for financial gain.
Justice Bogoro similarly sentenced 12 Philippine nationals, including Jean Calatar Maunfo, Donne Reges, and Roseann Gonzaus, under comparable terms. The court’s decisions were based on plea bargain agreements between the prosecution and defence counsel.
According to the EFCC, the convicts were members of an international syndicate known as “HK.” This operation reportedly involved over 1,500 laptops and 4,000 phones and was used to train both Nigerian and foreign youths in romance and investment scams. Victims were targeted in the U.S., Canada, Mexico, and Europe.
Genting International Company Limited, allegedly controlled by the syndicate’s ringleaders, was incorporated in mid-2024 and reportedly employed 200 Chinese nationals to recruit and supervise Nigerian youths involved in the illicit schemes. The EFCC stated that the suspects operated from the Victoria Island facility, disguised as a corporate financial headquarters, using Nigerian VPNs to conceal their activities.
The scams were perpetrated via platforms such as WhatsApp, Instagram, Telegram, and a fake investment website, with one defendant’s account allegedly receiving over N3.4 billion (approximately $2.3 million USD) in fraudulent proceeds.
Under the plea agreement, the convicts received a one-year prison sentence, retroactive to their arrest on December 10, 2024. They are also required to pay a fine of N1 million (approximately $670 USD) each. Upon completion of their sentences and payment of fines, they will be deported within seven days. The court further ordered the forfeiture of all mobile phones, laptops, and routers used in the crimes to the Federal Government of Nigeria.
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