Justice Chukwujekwu Aneke of the Federal High Court sitting in Ikoyi, Lagos, convicted and sentenced eight Chinese to one year imprisonment each for cyber-terrorism and internet fraud with a fine of N1million each and further ordered that upon completion of their sentences, the Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS), should ensure that they are repatriated to their country of origin within seven days.
Justice Aneke ordered the forfeiture of the items recovered from them to the Federal Government of Nigeria.
The convicts are Pan Cai Qi, Zeng Xian Tao, Weng Mao Rong, Wang Xiong Wei aka Xiao Bai, Shi Dong Fu, Wang Shi Long, Liu Ke Fan and Ting Liao.
The convicts were arraigned on separate charges bordering on cyber-terrorism and internet fraud by the Lagos Zonal Directorate 1 of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), on Friday, July 4, 2025.
They are among the syndicate of 792 alleged cryptocurrency investment and romance fraud suspects arrested on December 19, 2024, in Lagos during a sting operation tagged ‘Eagle Flush Operation’ conducted by EFCC operatives.
One of the charges reads: “That you, Pan Cai Qi, sometime in December 2024 at Lagos, within the jurisdiction of this Honourabe Court, willfully caused to be accessed computer system for the purpose of destabilizing and destroying the economy and social structure of Nigeria and thereby committed an offence contrary to and punishable under Section 18 of the Cybercrime (Prohibition, Prevention, Etc) Act, 2015 (As Amended, 2024]”.
They initially pleaded “not guilty” to the charges preferred against them. However, during Friday’s sitting, they all changed their “not guilty plea” to “guilty.”
In view of this, prosecution counsel, M.K Bashir, prayed the court to convict them accordingly.
