The Federal High Court in Ikoyi, Lagos, has convicted and sentenced eight Chinese nationals to one year imprisonment for cyberterrorism and internet fraud.
Justice Chukwujekwu Aneke delivered the judgment on Friday, July 4, 2025, following a plea bargain entered by the convicts—Pan Cai Qi, Zeng Xian Tao, Weng Mao Rong, Wang Xiong Wei (aka Xiao Bai), Shi Dong Fu, Wang Shi Long, Liu Ke Fan, and Ting Liao.
The convicts were among 792 suspected cryptocurrency and romance fraudsters arrested in a December 19, 2024 sting operation tagged Eagle Flush, carried out by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) in Lagos.
They were arraigned by the Lagos Zonal Directorate 1 of the EFCC on separate charges bordering on cyberterrorism and internet fraud, including willful access to computer systems to destabilize and damage Nigeria’s economy and social fabric—an offence under Section 18 of the Cybercrime (Prohibition, Prevention, etc.) Act, 2015 (as amended in 2024).
Initially pleading not guilty, the defendants changed their plea to guilty during Friday’s proceedings. Prosecution counsel M.K. Bashir urged the court to convict them accordingly.
Justice Aneke sentenced each of them to one year in prison with an option of a ₦1,000,000 fine. He also ordered the Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Immigration Service to repatriate them to China within seven days after serving their terms.
All items recovered from the convicts during the operation were ordered forfeited to the Federal Government.
