Court Convicts Nine Chinese Nationals For Financial Terrorism 

Justice Daniel Osiagor of the  Federal High Court, Lagos on Thursday have sentenced nine Chinese Nationals  including two females to one year imprisonment each and a fine of one million naira  for Economic sabotage and financial terrorism.

The defendants are; . Zhao Xiang Hui, Liu Hai Rong, Liu Gang,Du JI Geng Li Dong,Huang Bo,Xhiong Zhen, Lai Rui Feng and  Deng Wei Qiang 

It would be recalled that the  Economic and Financial Crimes commission, EFCC, had on the 10th of December,2024 bust into a sixth floor building located in Oyin Jolayemi  area of Lagos where over 700 people were arrested for offences bothering  on Cyber terrorism and economic sabotage 

When the matter came up for trial today EFCC’s counsel Me Nnemeka Omewa informed the court that the defendants have opted for plea bargain arrangements which the Commission has found worthy.

counsel Mr Folarin Damela also confirmed the  EFCC position and urged the court to accept the plea bargain.

Consequently the charge was read and all the defendants pleaded guilty to same. The defendants also admitted that they freely consented to  and signed the plea bargain agreement.

Following the guilty plea of the defendants, the prosecutor Nnemeka Omewa asked the court to convict and sentence the defendants in accordance with the plea bargain agreement .

In the absence of any objection to the prosecutor’s request, Justice Daniel Osiagor convicted and sentenced the defendants in line with the plea bargain agreement. 

According to justice Osiagor, the defendants are sentenced to one year imprisonment each, commencing from the 10th of December,2024  with the payment of one million Naira.

The court also ordered that upon the  completion of the prison term, the Nigerian Immigration Service  shall  repatriate  the convicts  to their country of origin.

Justice Daniel Osiagor also ordered that all the items found on the convicts   including furnitures, computer gadgets laptops should be forfeited to the Federal Government.

The one counts amended  charge against the defendants  reads: “That  sometimes in December 2024, in Lagos, within the jurisdiction of this Honorable Court, the convicts  willfully caused to be accessed, computer systems organized to seriously destabilize and destroy the fundamental economic and social structure of Nigeria

when  they  procured/employed Nigerian youths for identity theft and to hold themselves out as persons of foreign nationality, with the intent to gain  financial advantages for themselves and  thereby committed an offence contrary to and punishable under Section 18 of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, Etc) Act, 2015 (As amended 2024) and Section 2(3) (d) of the Terrorism (Prevenion, Prohibition) Act, 2022″.