EFCC Arraigns 11 More Chinese Nationals For Cybercrimes, Internet Fraud
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has arraigned 11 Chinese nationals in the Federal High Court in Ikoyi, Lagos, for involvement in cybercrime, romance scams, and other internet fraud activities. The defendants, along with their company, Genting International Company Limited, faced charges before Justice Chukwujekwu Aneke.
The accused individuals, including Li Niu, Xiao Qinyun, Fu Zheng Yang, Xiao Yi, Bei Bei Linde Jun, Li Hang, Huan Livo, Wang Wei Tong Mo Ying, Gao Yang, Zebin Chen, and Yuan Zhibin, all pleaded not guilty to the charges. They are part of a larger syndicate, comprising 792 members, allegedly involved in cryptocurrency investments and romance fraud. This group was arrested during a surprise operation called the ‘Eagle Flush Operation’ in Lagos on December 10, 2024.
The defendants face various charges, including cyber-terrorism, cybercrimes, possession of fraudulent documents, advance fee fraud, and identity theft. Prosecution counsels Ahmed Yerima, F.S. Mohammed, A.M. Dambuwq, and N.C. Mutfwang requested trial dates, and the court granted that the defendants be remanded in a correctional facility.
Justice Aneke adjourned the case to March 14 and 21, 2025, for the commencement of the trial.
In one of the charges against Bei Bei Linde Jun, it is stated: “That you, BEI BEI LINDE JUN (female), an adult, and GENTING INTERNATIONAL CO. LIMITED, sometime between November 28, 2024, and December 10, 2024, at No. 7, Oyin Jolayemi Street, Victoria Island, Ikoyi, Lagos, within the jurisdiction of the Federal High Court of Nigeria, with the intent to defraud, willfully accessed computer systems organised to destabilise the social and economic structure of the Federal Republic of Nigeria by secretly employing several Nigerian youths for identity theft and other computer-related fraud.”
A charge against Li Niu reads: “That you, LI NIU, sometime in 2024 in Lagos, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, were found in possession of documents in which you falsely represented yourself as ‘LISA’, claiming to be a female from Singapore. You knew or ought to have known that this representation was false, thereby committing an offence contrary to Section 6 of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offences Act, 2006, and punishable under Section 1 (3) of the same Act.”
