A Lagos court has jailed six Chinese nationals for cyber-terrorism and internet fraud crimes.
They were arrested during an EFCC sting and will be deported after serving time.
A Federal High Court in Ikoyi, Lagos has sentenced six Chinese nationals to one year imprisonment each after they were found guilty of cyber-terrorism and internet-related crimes.
The convicted individuals, identified as Jia You (also known as A. You), Wang Zheng Feng (also known as Feng), Liu San Hua, Chen Wen Yuan, Liu Beixing, and Wen Zong Xu (also known as Li Long), were part of a wider criminal group involved in cybercrime activities.
Their arrest was part of a major crackdown by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), carried out on December 19, 2024, during a special operation called “Eagle Flush Operation.” The sting operation, conducted in Lagos, led to the arrest of 792 suspected individuals linked to cryptocurrency scams and romance fraud.
Following their arrest, the six Chinese nationals were arraigned in February 2025 before Justices D. I. Dipeolu and A. O. Faji of the Federal High Court. They faced separate charges related to cyber-terrorism and fraudulent online activities brought against them by the EFCC’s Lagos Zonal Directorate 1.
One of the charges read in court stated that one of the accused, Luo Jia You (alias A. You), in December 2024, deliberately accessed computer systems for the purpose of disrupting Nigeria’s economic and social structure. This act, the prosecution argued, violated Section 18 of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, etc.) Act of 2015 as amended in 2024, as well as Section 2(3) of the Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act of 2022.
Initially, all six defendants pleaded not guilty. However, during court proceedings on Monday, June 23, 2025, they changed their pleas to guilty.
Following their admission of guilt, the EFCC prosecutors Babatunde Sonoiki, U. S. Kyari, and B. M. Isah requested that the court convict and sentence the offenders accordingly.
The court ruled in favor of the prosecution and sentenced each of the defendants to one year in prison, with the sentence starting from the date of their arrest, December 10, 2024. Each individual was also fined the sum of one million naira.
In addition to the prison sentence and fine, the court directed the Nigeria Immigration Service to deport the convicts to their home country within seven days after completing their jail term.
Furthermore, all electronic devices seized at the time of their arrest including mobile phones, computers, laptops, and internet routers were ordered to be forfeited to the Federal Government of Nigeria.
