The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission on Tuesday arraigned 11 Chinese nationals at the Federal High Court in Lagos on multiple charges, including cyber fraud, identity theft, and an alleged attempt to destabilize Nigeria’s constitutional framework.
The defendants, who were arrested during an operation codenamed “Eagle Flush Operation” conducted on December 19, 2024, pleaded not guilty to all charges. Justice Chukwujekwu Aneke ordered their remand at the Ikoyi Correctional Centre pending trial.
This latest development followed the arraignment of 42 Chinese and Filipino nationals the previous day for similar offences at the same court.
The EFCC alleged that the arrested individuals were part of a syndicate recruiting Nigerian youths for identity theft and cybercrime activities.
The defendants; 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), were charged with various offences, including cyberterrorism, possession of fraudulent documents, and identity theft.
Additionally, five other Chinese nationals—Liu Ke Fan (alias Lina, Liu Chen), Huang Hai Tao, Zhang Jian Feng, Wu A Wang, and Xiao Xin—were arraigned on related charges. Among them, Liu Ke Fan was accused of impersonating a 28-year-old American named Lina, residing in Germany, as part of a romance scam and cryptocurrency fraud scheme.
According to EFCC prosecutors M.K. Bashir and R.A. Abdulrasheed, Liu allegedly used his company’s Maya desktop computer to create a fake profile with the intent to defraud.
“In December 2024, Liu Ke Fan, with intent to gain advantage for himself and members of his criminal syndicate group, fraudulently impersonated a U.S. citizen,” they told the court.
The EFCC further revealed that Liu provided false information during the investigation, presenting himself as Liu Chen to mislead investigators and cover up his involvement in a syndicate specializing in romance scams, cryptocurrency fraud, and cyberterrorism.
The commission stated that the defendants are members of a larger network involving 792 individuals engaged in cryptocurrency fraud and identity theft.
Prosecutors also alleged that on December 18, 2024, the defendants accessed computer systems intending to destabilize Nigeria’s constitutional structure by recruiting Nigerian youths and falsely representing them as foreign nationals for financial gain.
Their actions, according to the EFCC, 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.
After their not-guilty pleas, Justice Aneke adjourned the trial to February 21 and March 7, 2025.
