The Federal High Court in Lagos has remanded 11 Chinese nationals, one Filipino as well as a company, Genting International Co. Limited, at the Ikoyi and Kirikiri correctional centres on charges of cybercrime, impersonation, and attempts to destabilise Nigeria’s constitutional structure.
The suspects were arraigned before Justice D.I. Dipeolu on Friday.
The defendants who pleaded not guilty to the charges are: Wang Zheng Ming, Li Yin Hui, Xian Hong Will, Zhang Xiao Lei, Long Zhao Ming, Guo Xiao Fei, Yang Sheng, Wang Zheng Feng, Chen Wenyuan, Liu San Hua, Luo Jia You and Rheign Dela Vega.
One of the defendants, Liu San Hua, is specifically accused of hiring Nigerian youths to impersonate foreign nationals for financial gains.
They are all members of the syndicate of 792 alleged cryptocurrency investment and romance fraud suspects arrested on December 19, 2024 in Lagos during a surprise operation tagged “Eagle Flush Operation” by operatives of the EFCC.
The EFCC was represented in court by prosecution L.P. Aso, M.K. Bashir, T.J. Banjo, N.K. Ukoha, and B. Buhari-Bala.
After the defendants took their pleas, the prosecution counsel asked the court for trial dates and prayed that the defendants be remanded.
The court ordered that the two female defendants among them be remanded at Kirikiri Female Correctional Centre, while the others were sent to Ikoyi Correctional Centre.
The judge adjourned the matter to February 7, 14, and 21 for trial and remanded the defendants at the correctional centres.