On Tuesday, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission charged 11 Chinese nationals with cyber fraud, identity theft, and attempting to undermine Nigeria’s constitutional system.
The defendants appeared before the Federal High Court in Lagos. They pleaded not guilty to all allegations.
The development came just a day after the anti-graft agency charged 42 Chinese and Filipinos with similar offenses before the same Federal High Court in Lagos.
According to the EFCC, the foreign nationals were apprehended during the “Eagle Flush Operation” on December 19, 2024, in Lagos.
Following their not-guilty plea, Justice Chukwujekwu Aneke remanded them to 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 (alias A Xiang).
They faced separate charges for cybercrime, cyberterrorism, possession of false documents, and identity theft.
According to the EFCC, the defendants reportedly recruited Nigerian youngsters for identity theft and other forms of cyber crime.
Five additional Chinese citizens, including Liu Ke Fan (alias Lina, Lui Chen), Huang Hai Tao, Zhang Jian Feng, Wu A Wang, and Xiao Xin, were also charged in court.
In one of the allegations, the EFCC accused Liu Ke Fan of impersonating Lina, a 28-year-old American living in Germany, as part of a romance scam and cryptocurrency fraud.
