Seventeen Chinese nationals have been sentenced to one year imprisonment each for cyber-terrorism and internet fraud by the Federal High Court sitting in Ikoyi, Lagos.
The convictions were secured by the Lagos Zonal Directorate 2 of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on Monday, June 23, 2025, before Justices D.E. Osiagor and D.I. Dipeolu.
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 the 792 suspects arrested in Lagos on December 19, 2024, during a coordinated EFCC sting operation codenamed Eagle Flush Operation, targeting a syndicate allegedly involved in cryptocurrency scams and romance fraud.
Initially arraigned in February 2025 on separate one-count charges of cyber-terrorism and internet fraud, the defendants had pleaded not guilty. However, during Monday’s hearing, all 17 changed their plea to guilty.
Following the change of plea, EFCC prosecutors Nneemeka Omewa, U.S. Kyari, and B.M. Isah presented the terms of a plea bargain reached with the defendants. The defence team confirmed the arrangement and urged the court to adopt it.
The judges sentenced each defendant to one year in prison starting from their arrest date—December 10, 2024—and imposed a fine of ₦1 million on each.
In addition, the court ordered the forfeiture of all devices recovered during the arrest, including mobile phones, laptops, and routers, to the Federal Government of Nigeria. The Comptroller General of Immigration was also directed to repatriate the convicts to China within seven days.
