Nigeria has commenced the deportation of dozens of foreign nationals convicted of large-scale cyber fraud and Ponzi scheme operations, in what critics describe as a grim reminder of the country’s growing vulnerability to transnational crime.
According to Channels Television, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), in collaboration with the Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS), on Sunday expelled 42 Chinese and Philippine nationals who the Federal High Court in Lagos had convicted.
They were part of 192 foreigners linked to one of Nigeria’s biggest cybercrime syndicates ever uncovered.
The first batch of deportees departed Lagos around 2:00 p.m., with immigration officers escorting them out of the country. Pictures of the disgraced convicts were obtained at the airport before their departure.
The deportees were among 759 suspects arrested during a sweeping EFCC raid on December 10, 2024, at Oyin Jolayemi Street, Victoria Island, Lagos.
The crackdown exposed a sophisticated network of online scammers who, according to investigators, had been using fake identities, manipulating Ponzi schemes, and even training employees of Genting International Co. Limited to carry out fraud.
The EFCC confirmed that more convicted foreigners will be deported on Monday and Tuesday, after serving court-ordered prison terms.
While the EFCC hailed the deportations as a milestone in the fight against financial crimes, analysts note that the sheer scale of the scam exposed deep institutional lapses in border control, corporate regulation, and cybersecurity.
At least 192 foreign nationals—mainly from China and the Philippines—were convicted, raising questions about how such a massive syndicate could establish and operate from Nigeria for so long.
The EFCC stressed that the charges filed against them covered serious breaches under the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Related Offences Act, 2006, including attempts to undermine national security and financial integrity.
EFCC Chairman, Ola Olukoyede, lauded the convictions and deportations, calling them “a milestone in Nigeria’s fight against cybercrime and financial fraud.”
He pledged that the Commission would deepen investigations, recover stolen assets, and restore Nigeria’s credibility in line with President Bola Tinubu’s anti-corruption agenda.
The December 2024 raid, regarded as one of the country’s most extensive anti-cybercrime operations, marked a new phase in Nigeria’s battle against foreign-backed syndicates exploiting its weak systems.
