T he Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has arraigned 11 Chinese nationals on charges of cyber fraud, identity theft, and attempts to destabilize Nigeria’s constitutional structure. The arraignment took place at the Federal High Court in Lagos, where all defendants pleaded not guilty.
This follows the recent arraignment of 42 Chinese and Filipino nationals for similar offenses in the same court. The accused were apprehended during the "Eagle Flush Operation" conducted on December 19, 2024, in Lagos.
Justice Chukwujekwu Aneke ordered the remand of the defendants at the Ikoyi Correctional Centre pending their trial. The individuals arraigned 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), among others.
The charges against them cover cybercrimes, cyberterrorism, possession of fraudulent documents, and identity theft. The EFCC alleged that the defendants recruited Nigerian youths for identity theft and cyber fraud schemes. Additionally, Liu Ke Fan (alias Lina, Liu Chen) was specifically accused of impersonating a 28-year-old American named Lina in a romance scam and cryptocurrency fraud.
Prosecutors claimed Liu Ke Fan fraudulently impersonated a U.S. citizen using a fake profile on a Maya desktop computer as part of a broader criminal syndicate involved in romance scams, cryptocurrency fraud, and cyberterrorism. The EFCC stated that the syndicate comprises 792 individuals engaged in fraudulent activities.
The EFCC prosecutors, M.K. Bashir and R.A. Abdulrasheed, informed the court that the accused had accessed computer systems with the intent to destabilize Nigeria’s constitutional structure. They allegedly recruited Nigerian youths, falsely represented them as foreign nationals, and provided false information during investigations.
These actions are said to violate Sections 18 and 27 of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, Etc.) Act, 2015 (as amended in 2024), and Section 39(2) of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (Establishment) Act, 2004.
The court has scheduled the next hearing for February 21 and March 7, 2025.
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