The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on Tuesday arraigned 11 Chinese nationals before the Federal High Court in Lagos on charges of cyber fraud, identity theft, and an alleged plot to undermine Nigeria’s constitutional structure.
Their appearance in court came just a day after the anti-graft agency arraigned 42 other foreign nationals—Chinese and Filipinos—on similar charges. The latest arrests, EFCC officials say, are part of an extensive investigation into an international cyber syndicate that has allegedly been preying on unsuspecting victims through fraudulent cryptocurrency schemes and identity theft operations.
According to the EFCC, the defendants were arrested during a surprise raid dubbed Operation Eagle Flush on December 19, 2024, in Lagos. Prosecutors claim the suspects not only engaged in cyber fraud but also recruited Nigerian youths into their syndicate, training them to assume fake foreign identities for fraudulent activities.
Read Also: Nigerian govt approves N249bn for 14 major road projects
The accused 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)
- Weng Mao Rong (alias A Xiang)
Additionally, five others—Liu Ke Fan (alias Lina, Liu Chen), Huang Hai Tao, Zhang Jian Feng, Wu A Wang, and Xiao Xin—were also charged separately.
One of the more shocking allegations centers around Liu Ke Fan, whom prosecutors say posed as a 28-year-old American woman named Lina, supposedly living in Germany. EFCC investigators claim Liu used a fake profile on his company’s Maya desktop computer to manipulate unsuspecting victims into fraudulent cryptocurrency investments.
The commission further alleges that Liu, in an attempt to evade law enforcement, falsely identified himself as Liu Chen when questioned, misleading investigators about his role in the criminal network.
“This syndicate isn’t just about small-scale scams; they are part of a web of 792 individuals engaged in cryptocurrency fraud, romance scams, and cyberterrorism,” an EFCC official stated after the court session.
Beyond individual scams, prosecutors argue that the defendants had a more sinister agenda—destabilizing Nigeria’s digital and economic landscape. According to court filings, the accused “willfully accessed computer systems with the intent to destabilize Nigeria’s constitutional structure by recruiting Nigerian youths for identity theft, fraudulently presenting them as foreign nationals to gain financial advantage.”
They also allegedly provided false information to EFCC officers to obstruct the investigation, a violation of Sections 18 and 27 of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, Etc.) Act, 2015 (as amended in 2024), and Section 39(2) of the EFCC Act, 2004.
Despite the serious charges, all 11 defendants pleaded not guilty. Justice Chukwujekwu Aneke ordered their remand at the Ikoyi Correctional Centre pending trial. The court adjourned proceedings to February 21 and March 7, 2025.
