A Federal High Court in Lagos has sentenced nine Chinese nationals, including two women, to one year’s imprisonment each for offences bordering on economic sabotage and financial terrorism.
Justice Daniel Osiagor delivered the judgment on Wednesday, following the defendants’ guilty plea under a plea bargain agreement with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
The convicts — Zhao Xiang Hui, Liu Hai Rong, Liu Gang, Du Ji Geng, Li Dong, Huang Bo, Xhiong Zhen, Lai Rui Feng, and Deng Wei Qiang — were each fined N1 million in addition to their custodial sentences.
The court further ordered their repatriation to China upon completion of their prison terms.
The EFCC had arrested the convicts on December 10, 2024, during a massive raid on a building on Oyin Jolayemi Street, Lagos.
Over 700 suspects were apprehended during the operation, which targeted a suspected cybercrime and economic sabotage syndicate.
During proceedings, counsel for the EFCC, Nnemeka Omewa, informed the court that the defendants had opted for a plea bargain, which the commission found acceptable.
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Counsel for the defence, Folarin Damela, also confirmed the arrangement and urged the court to adopt it.
Justice Osiagor thereafter read the amended one-count charge to the defendants, to which they all pleaded guilty.
The charge accused them of accessing computer systems in December 2024 with the intent to destabilise Nigeria’s economic and social structure.
It further stated that they employed Nigerian youths to commit identity theft and impersonation for financial gain.
The court ruled that their prison terms should commence from December 10, 2024, the day of their arrest.
Additionally, the judge ordered the forfeiture of all items recovered from the convicts — including furniture, laptops, and other computer gadgets — to the Federal Government.
Justice Osiagor also mandated the Nigerian Immigration Service to deport the convicts after they serve their sentences.
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