The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, on Tuesday, arraigned 11 Chinese nationals over allegations of cyber fraud, identity theft, and an attempt to destabilise Nigeria’s constitutional structure.
The defendants were arraigned before the Federal High Court in Lagos. They pleaded not guilty to the charges.
The development comes only a day after the anti-graft agency arraigned 42 Chinese and Filipinos for similar offences before the same Federal High Court in Lagos.
According to the EFCC, the foreign nationals were arrested during a raid tagged “Eagle Flush Operation” conducted on December 19, 2024, in Lagos.
Following their not-guilty plea, Justice Chukwujekwu Aneke ordered that they be remanded at the Ikoyi Correctional Centre in Lagos.
The defendants are Wang Xiong Wei (alias Xiao Bai), Chen Dong Dong (alias Cun Zhao), Chen Yuan (alias Xiao Doa), Wu Yuan An (alias Zeng Niu), Wang Gong Lin (alias Wang Jing Lin), and Weng Mao Rong (alais A Xiang).
They were arraigned on separate charges relating to cybercrimes, cyberterrorism, possession of fraudulent documents, and identity theft.
According to the EFCC, the defendants allegedly recruited Nigerian youths for identity theft and other cyber fraud schemes.
Additionally, five other Chinese nationals, Liu Ke Fan (alias Lina, Lui Chen), Huang Hai Tao, Zhang Jian Feng, Wu A Wang, and Xiao Xin, were charged before the court.
In one of the charges, the EFCC accused Liu Ke Fan of impersonating a 28-year-old American named Lina, living in Germany, as part of a romance scam and cryptocurrency fraud operation.
Prosecutors alleged that in December 2024, Liu Ke Fan, “with intent to gain advantage for himself and members of his criminal syndicate group, fraudulently impersonated a U.S. citizen using a fake profile on his company’s Maya desktop computer.”
The EFCC further told the court that the defendant “willfully provided false information during an investigation, falsely presenting himself as Liu Chen to mislead investigators and conceal his involvement in a criminal syndicate specializing in romance scams, cryptocurrency fraud, and cyberterrorism.”
According to the anti-graft agency, the defendants belong to a syndicate of 792 individuals engaged in cryptocurrency investment fraud and romance scams.
The defendants were arrested on December 19, 2024, in Lagos during a surprise operation codenamed “Eagle Flush Operation” conducted by EFCC operatives.
EFCC prosecutors, M.K. Bashir and R.A. Abdulrasheed, informed the court that on or about December 18, 2024, the accused persons “willfully accessed computer systems with the intent to destabilise Nigeria’s constitutional structure by procuring and employing Nigerian youths for identity theft, falsely representing them as foreign nationals to gain financial advantage.”
The commission also accused them of “willfully providing false information to EFCC officers during investigations into their alleged cyber fraud activities.”
The EFCC stated that their actions violate Sections 18 and 27 of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, Etc.) Act, 2015 (as amended in 2024), and Section 39(2) of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (Establishment) Act, 2004.
After hearing the charges, the defendants pleaded not guilty.
Following their pleas, Justice Aneke ordered their remand at the Ikoyi Correctional Centre pending trial.
(PUNCH)