Internet fraud: Courts remand 29 Chinese, others in Ikoyi, Kirikiri prisons
No fewer than 29 Chinese, 10 Filipinos and three others have been remanded in the Ikoyi and Kirikiri Correctional Centres of Lagos State.
They were remanded by Federal High Courts sitting in Ikoyi, on Monday.
The individuals, totalling 42, including one Malaysian, an Indonesian and a Pakistani, were arraigned by the Lagos Zonal Directorate of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission on Monday.
According to a tweet via the EFCC’s X handle, they were arraigned alongside a company, Genting International Company Limited., before Justices Ayokunle Faji, D.I. Dipeolu, Alexander Owoeye and C.J. Aneke, respectively.
The suspects are members of the syndicate of 792 alleged cryptocurrency investment and romance fraud suspects arrested on December 19, 2024, in Lagos during an operation tagged “Eagle Flush Operation” by operatives of the EFCC.
They were arraigned on separate charges bordering on alleged cybercrimes, cyber-terrorism, impersonation, possession of documents containing false pretence and identity theft, among others.
The defendants are Zhang Zhai; Chen Xin; Li Peng; Guo Long; Ren Wen; Zhang Jian; Zhao Bin, Zhang Yang; Wang Chenge, Khurram Shanzad, Tan Kar, An Hongxu, Shitou Shizilong, Pan Jiong, among others.
One of the counts reads, “That you, Zhang Hua Zhai and Genting International Co. Limited, on or about December 18, 2024, in Lagos, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, willfully caused to be accessed, computer systems organised to seriously destabilise the constitutional structure of Nigeria (which prohibits and prevents cyber and related crimes) when you procured/employed Nigerian youths for identity theft and to hold themselves out as persons of foreign nationality, with the intent to gain financial advantage for yourselves and you thereby committed an offence contrary to and punishable under Section 18 and 27 of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, Etc) Act, 2015 (As Amended, 2024).”
Another count reads, “That you, Viera Dela Cruz (aka Nina Viera Gonzal) and Genting International Co. Ltd., sometime in December 2024, in Lagos, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, willfully caused to be accessed, computer systems organized to seriously destabilise the constitutional structure of Nigeria (which prohibits and prevents cyber related cries) when you procured/employed Nigerian youths for identity theft and to hold themselves out as persons of foreign nationality, with the intent to gain a financial advantage for yourselves and you thereby committed an offence contrary to and punishable under Section 18 of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, Etc) Act, 2015 (As amended 2024),” among other counts.”
When the offences were read to them, each of the arraigned suspects pleaded not guilty.
In view of their pleas, prosecution counsel, L.P. Aso, M.K. Bashir, N. K. Ukoha, T.J. Banjo, M. S. Owede, B.B. Buhari, C.C.Okezie, H.U. Kofarnaisa and Z.B.Atiku, respectively prayed the court for trial dates and for the defendants to be remanded in the appropriate correctional centres.
Justice Faji adjourned the matter till February 10, 11, 17, 18, 19, 2025.
Justice Dipeolu adjourned the matter till February 7, 15, 21, 24 and 28, 2025; Justice Owoeye adjourned the matter till February 20, 21, 24, 28 and March 18, 2025; and Justice Aneke adjourned the matter till March 7, 2025, for trial.
