Group Urges EFCC To Appeal Judgments On 192 Foreign Cybercriminals
The Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) has urged the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to appeal what it described as “light and compromised” judgments handed down by a Federal High Court to 192 Chinese and Filipino nationals convicted of cybercrime and Ponzi scheme offences in Lagos.
The group, in a statement on Monday, faulted the court’s decision to sentence the foreign nationals to one year’s imprisonment each, with an option of a ₦1m fine and subsequent deportation, instead of enforcing the harsher custodial penalties prescribed by the Cybercrime (Prohibition, Prevention, Etc.) Act, 2015.
“The Federal High Court literally allowed dangerous foreign criminals, described by the EFCC as a serious threat to Nigeria’s security and financial integrity, to get away with a slap on the wrist,” said Comrade Emmanuel Onwubiko, National Coordinator of HURIWA.
“They were escorted like kings and queens by the Nigerian Immigration Service to board planes back to China and the Philippines when, in fact, they ought to be serving long custodial terms in Nigerian prisons in line with the law.”
According to the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS), the first batch of 42 convicts was deported through Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, around 2 p.m. on Sunday, while the remaining 150 are scheduled to be deported between Monday and Tuesday.
The foreigners were part of a syndicate raided by EFCC operatives on December 10, 2024, at Oyin Jolayemi Street, Victoria Island, Lagos. Investigators said the syndicate’s company, Genting International Co. Limited, had received over ₦2.26bn within eight months of operations, training Nigerians on how to run romance and investment scams.
EFCC also secured the final forfeiture of $222,729 in digital assets linked to the network.
HURIWA, therefore, warned that the light sentences undermine Nigeria’s cybercrime laws and set a dangerous precedent.
“In Nigeria, cybercrime attracts severe punishments — from seven years’ imprisonment for unauthorised access to life imprisonment in cases involving critical national information infrastructure.
“Yet the court chose to ignore these provisions and impose one-year sentences with deportation. That is not justice,” Onwubiko said.
The group also drew attention to what it described as a double standard in the treatment of Nigerians abroad compared to foreigners in Nigeria.
“Nigerians convicted in China or the Philippines serve long, harsh prison terms before they are deported like common criminals in handcuffs. Here in Nigeria, we are pampering foreign convicts with soft landings. This is unacceptable,” HURIWA argued.
The group urged EFCC Chairman Ola Olukoyede to ensure that “any future cases where courts hand down light sentences on foreign cybercriminals are vigorously appealed” to preserve the integrity of Nigeria’s justice system.
Group Urges EFCC To Appeal Judgments On 192 Foreign Cybercriminals is first published on The Whistler Newspaper
