Nigeria Deports 42 Convicted Foreign Cybercriminals
The Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS), working in collaboration with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), has deported 42 foreign nationals convicted of cyber terrorism and Ponzi scheme offences.
The deportees, who are Chinese and Philippine citizens, were escorted out of Nigeria on Sunday, marking the beginning of a wider operation to repatriate nearly 200 convicted foreigners to their home countries.
The deportation followed a major crackdown on cybercrime syndicates last December, when EFCC operatives stormed Oyin Jolayemi Street in Victoria Island, Lagos, arresting hundreds of suspects. Among them were 192 foreigners who later faced trial at a Federal High Court in Lagos.
They were convicted under Nigeria’s Advance Fee Fraud and Other Related Offences Act, 2006, for their involvement in cyber fraud, Ponzi schemes, identity theft and the training of fraud operatives.
Officials confirmed that the 42 deportees left Nigeria on Sunday afternoon at about 2:00 p.m., while the remaining convicted foreigners are scheduled to be deported in batches on Monday and Tuesday. Immigration authorities said the deportation was carried out in line with court directives and international protocols, ensuring that all convicts serve their sentences by being removed from Nigerian territory.
The Chairman of the EFCC, Ola Olukoyede, hailed the exercise as a significant milestone in the country’s fight against cybercrime. He stressed that Nigeria would not serve as a haven for criminals who exploit technology to defraud individuals and institutions, adding that the operation demonstrated the government’s determination to protect its economy, strengthen its financial systems and uphold the rule of law.
The December 2024 raid that led to the arrests has been described as one of the largest cybercrime busts in Nigeria’s history, with at least 759 suspects taken into custody, including both local and foreign operatives. Investigators disclosed that the syndicate had created a sophisticated criminal network with training facilities aimed at recruiting and grooming new operatives into illegal cyber activities, posing a grave threat to Nigeria’s reputation in the international community.
The Federal Government has reiterated its stance that cybercrime and financial fraud will continue to be tackled aggressively under President Bola Tinubu’s administration. With the deportation now underway, security experts say Nigeria is sending a strong message to transnational criminal organizations that the country will no longer provide a safe ground for such illegal activities, while also strengthening global cooperation in the fight against financial crimes.
