The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), in collaboration with the Nigerian Immigration Service and Nigerian Correctional Service, has completed the deportation of 192 foreign nationals convicted of cyber-terrorism, internet fraud, and related financial crimes in Lagos. The final batch of 51 convicts, including 50 Chinese nationals and one Tunisian, was repatriated on October 16, 2025.
The operation began after a December 10, 2024, raid in Victoria Island, Lagos, where 759 suspects were arrested based on intelligence exposing a major foreign-led cybercrime and Ponzi scheme syndicate operating under Genting International Co. Limited. The syndicate engaged in identity theft, online romance scams, Ponzi schemes, and cybercrime training, posing a threat to Nigeria’s national security and financial integrity.
Following investigations and prosecution, the 192 foreigners, including nationals from China, the Philippines, Tunisia, Malaysia, Timor-Leste, Pakistan, and Kyrgyzstan, were convicted under the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Related Offences Act, 2006, by the Federal High Court in Lagos. The court ordered their deportation after serving prison terms. The repatriation, conducted in batches from August 15 to October 16, 2025, via multiple airlines, marked one of Nigeria’s largest transnational cybercrime crackdowns.
EFCC Chairman Ola Olukoyede called the operation a testament to Nigeria’s commitment to combating transnational criminal networks, emphasizing the agency’s resolve to protect the country’s digital and financial ecosystem. He praised the inter-agency collaboration that ensured the convicts’ custody, prosecution, and deportation. Evidence from recovered digital devices and servers was critical to the convictions.
