The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has arraigned 11 Chinese nationals before the Federal High Court in Lagos on charges of cyber fraud, identity theft, and an attempt to undermine Nigeria’s constitutional structure.
The defendants, who appeared in court on Tuesday, pleaded not guilty to the charges. Their arraignment comes just a day after the EFCC charged 42 other foreign nationals, including Chinese and Filipinos, for similar offenses before the same court.
According to the anti-graft agency, the accused individuals were apprehended during an operation codenamed “Eagle Flush,” which was conducted in Lagos on December 19, 2024.
Following their pleas, Justice Chukwujekwu Aneke ordered their remand at the Ikoyi Correctional Centre pending trial.
The defendants include Wang Xiong Wei (alias Xiao Bai), Chen Dong Dong (alias Cun Zhao), Chen Yuan (alias Xiao Doa), Wu Yuan An (alias Zeng Niu), Wang Gong Lin (alias Wang Jing Lin), and Weng Mao Rong (alias A Xiang).
Additionally, five others—Liu Ke Fan (alias Lina, Lui Chen), Huang Hai Tao, Zhang Jian Feng, Wu A Wang, and Xiao Xin—were also arraigned.
The EFCC accused Liu Ke Fan of impersonating a 28-year-old American woman named Lina, allegedly using a fake profile for a romance scam and cryptocurrency fraud operation.
Prosecutors stated that in December 2024, Liu Ke Fan “fraudulently impersonated a U.S. citizen using a fake profile on his company’s Maya desktop computer” to deceive victims and gain financial advantage.
The EFCC further alleged that the defendants belong to a syndicate of 792 individuals engaged in cryptocurrency investment scams and romance fraud.
The commission also charged them with willfully accessing computer systems to recruit Nigerian youths for identity theft, falsely presenting them as foreign nationals to carry out financial scams.
Additionally, they were accused of providing false information to EFCC investigators in an attempt to conceal their involvement in cyber fraud and cyberterrorism activities.
The EFCC stated that the alleged offenses violate Sections 18 and 27 of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, Etc.) Act, 2015 (as amended in 2024), as well as Section 39(2) of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (Establishment) Act, 2004.
Following the court proceedings, Justice Aneke adjourned the case to February 21 and March 7, 2025, for further hearings.
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