Justices Chukwujekwu Aneke and Yellim Bogoro presided over the convictions, which were delivered in two separate rulings.

No fewer than 18 foreign nationals have been sentenced to one year in prison each by the Federal High Court in Lagos for their involvement in cybercrime, fraud, impersonation, and attempts to destabilise Nigeria’s constitutional structure.

Justices Chukwujekwu Aneke and Yellim Bogoro presided over the convictions, which were delivered in two separate rulings.

 The convicts had earlier pleaded not guilty but later changed their pleas under a plea bargain agreement with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

The convicted individuals were part of a group of 193 foreign nationals arrested by EFCC operatives in December 2024 at a seven-storey building located on Oyin Jolayemi Street, Victoria Island. 

The EFCC said the operation formed part of a wider crackdown that led to the apprehension of 792 suspects globally, linked to a cybercrime and cryptocurrency fraud syndicate.

Justice Aneke sentenced six individuals—Eliza Gapparova, Diana Kadyrbekova, Nasrine Chouaieb, Jiang Han Hua, Liao Zhang, and Genting International Co. Limited—on charges of cyberterrorism and identity theft. 

The EFCC said they used Nigerian youths to impersonate foreign nationals for financial gain.

Prosecutor Zeinat Atiku led the case for the EFCC, while the defence team included Osuala Nwafbara, Z.S. Makinde, and Peter Taiwo. Justice Bogoro sentenced 12 Philippine nationals—Jean Calatar Maunfo, Donne Reges, Roseann Gonzaus, Mary Grace Dela Piazza Camara, Lari Jane Tayae, Jonilyn Agulto, Jonalyn Mendoza, Anjeannet Topacio, and Arramef Topacio—under similar plea bargain terms.

EFCC prosecutors Hanatu Kofanaisa and Temitope Banjo told the court that the accused were members of an international fraud network known as “HK.” 

The network reportedly operated with over 1500 laptops and 4000 mobile phones, training both Nigerian and foreign youths in romance and investment scams targeting victims in the United States, Canada, Mexico, and Europe.

Genting International Company Limited, allegedly controlled by the syndicate’s leaders, was incorporated in mid-2024 and employed 200 Chinese nationals to recruit and oversee Nigerian participants in the fraud scheme.

The EFCC revealed that the group operated from a location disguised as a financial services headquarters and used Nigerian VPNs to hide their activities. Platforms such as WhatsApp, Instagram, Telegram, and the fake investment website http://www.yooto.com were used to defraud victims, with fees beginning at $35.

In one case, a single defendant’s account reportedly received more than N3.4billion in fraud proceeds.

The convicts were sentenced to one year imprisonment retroactively from 10 December 2024 and fined N1million each. The court ordered their deportation within seven days after serving their sentences and paying the fines.

All devices used in the crimes, including mobile phones, laptops, and routers, were forfeited to the Federal Government of Nigeria.