The Federal High Court sitting in Ikoyi, Lagos, on Monday, June 23, 2025, convicted and sentenced 17 Chinese nationals to one year imprisonment each for cyber-terrorism and internet fraud.
Justices D. E. Osiagor and D. I. Dipeolu handed down the sentences following the defendants’ guilty pleas after an initial not-guilty stance. The convictions were secured by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Lagos Zonal Directorate 2.
The convicts include: Yu Hui (a.k.a. A. Bin), Huang Jin Hui, Fei Fan, Lu Qiang, Hu Xi Zheng, Sun Zhi Peng, Wu Hao, Cong Bing, Li Qiang (a.k.a. Yang Huan Huan), Zheng Wei (a.k.a. A. Hong), Cheng Jian, Da Tou, A Wen, Zhang Lei, Huang Zhi, Pan Jiong, and Chen Wen Yuan.
They were among 792 suspected members of a syndicate involved in cryptocurrency investment and romance scams arrested during a major sting operation tagged Eagle Flush on December 19, 2024.
Each was arraigned in February 2025 on separate one-count charges under the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, etc.) Act, 2015.
One of the charges read:
“That you, Yu Hui (a.k.a. A. Bin) and others, sometime in December 2024 in Lagos, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, caused access to computer systems used for destabilizing and destroying the economy and social structure of Nigeria, thereby committing an offence punishable under Section 18(1) of the Cybercrimes Act.”
Following a plea bargain agreement, the prosecution team — Nneemeka Omewa, U. S. Kyari, and B. M. Isah — urged the court to adopt the terms and convict accordingly. The defence did not oppose the motion.
The court sentenced each defendant to one year in prison, effective from December 10, 2024, and imposed a ₦1,000,000 fine on each. Additionally, the courts ordered the Comptroller General of Immigration to deport the convicts to China within seven days of completing their sentences.
Mobile phones, laptops, and internet devices recovered during the arrests were ordered forfeited to the Federal Government of Nigeria.
