A Federal High Court in Lagos on Friday sentenced seven Chinese nationals to one year in prison each for their roles in cyberterrorism and internet fraud connected to a major Ponzi scheme uncovered in December 2024. The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) brought the charges against the convicts before Justices Ayokunle Faji, Chukwujekwu Aneke, and Yellim Bogoro.During the hearings, EFCC prosecutors Bilkisu Buhari-Bala, Chineye Okezie, and Banjo Temitope informed the court that the defendants had entered plea bargain agreements filed on June 20, 2025.
All the defendants pleaded guilty and confirmed that they agreed to the plea bargain voluntarily. Each was sentenced to one year in prison and fined N1,000,000. The court also directed the Comptroller-General of the Nigerian Immigration Service to deport the convicts within seven days of completing their prison terms.
Those convicted include Peng Li Huan, Zhang Jin Rong, He Kun, Rachelle Cabalona, Caselyn Pionela, Guo Long Long, and Zhang Hua Zhai. They were arrested during an EFCC raid on a building on Oyin Jolayemi Street in Lagos, where more than 700 suspects were taken into custody.
The EFCC Lagos Zonal Directorate 1 arraigned them on one-count charges of cyberterrorism and internet fraud. The amended charge stated that in December 2024, the convicts deliberately accessed computer systems to undermine Nigeria’s economic and social structures by recruiting local youths to commit identity theft and impersonate foreign nationals for financial gain.
The offence violates Section 18 of the Cybercrimes Act, 2015 (as amended in 2024), and Section 2(3)(d) of the Terrorism (Prevention, Prohibition) Act, 2022.
Source : https://www.channelstv.com/
