The Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) has commenced the deportation of 192 foreigners convicted of internet fraud and Ponzi Scheme offences.
The first batch, comprising 42 Chinese and Filipinos, was flown out through the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, around 2 pm yesterday.
The rest (150) will follow suit between today and tomorrow.
A Federal High Court in Lagos jailed the 42 Chinese and Filipinos for one year each after they entered plea bargain pacts with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
They were fined N1 million each by the court, which also directed the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) to repatriate them to their countries of origin within seven days on completion of the jail term.
In July, the anti-graft agency, which in December 2024 nabbed them and 600 Nigerians, in building on Victoria Island, Lagos, secured final forfeiture of $222,729 digital assets seized from some of them.
The foreigners were said to be using the building on Oyin Jolayemi to “train Nigerians on how to initiate romance and investment scams.”
According to court documents, the syndicate’s company, Genting International Co. Limited, received more than N2.26 billion between April and December last year.
A statement by the EFCC on the foreigners’ deportation reads: ‘’The Nigerian Immigration Service will today(yesterday), deport 42 out of the 192 Chinese and Philippine nationals convicted for cyber terrorism and Ponzi scheme offences back to their home countries.
‘’The first batch of deportees, scheduled to leave Nigeria at exactly 2 pm. local time, were among 759 persons arrested during a major raid on December 10, 2024, at Oyin Jolayemi Street, Victoria Island, Lagos.
‘’Other deportees will depart Nigeria on Monday(today) and Tuesday respectively and will be airlifted back to their countries.
‘’All the convicts were handed over to the Nigerian Immigration Service for deportation.
‘’The syndicate had been operating a large-scale cyber fraud and Ponzi scheme before being rounded up in a joint operation.
‘’A total of 192 foreigners—comprising Chinese and Philippine nationals—were convicted in connection with the scam.”
‘’Several of the charges included allegations of using fake identities online to defraud victims, training employees of Genting International Co. Limited in fraudulent practices, and other offences under the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Related Offences Act, 2006.’’
The EFCC explained last year that the charges against the convicts highlighted serious crimes aimed at undermining Nigeria’s security and financial integrity through cybercrime and fraudulent activities.
It said the foreigners selected their Nigerian accomplices based on their computer skills. The successful ones among them were made to undergo a 14-day training on impersonation strategies.
“Once they established contact and built trust with victims, the foreign syndicate leaders would take over the scam and block their Nigerian collaborators from further access to the chats, keeping them in the dark about ongoing transactions,” he said.
The Nigerians , who were not issued employment letters, were paid in cash or through third-party accounts.