Justice Daniel Osiagor of the Federal High Court, Lagos today sentenced nine Chinese Nationals which including two females to one year imprisonment each and a fine of one million naira for Economic sabotage and financial terrorism.
The defendants are; . Zhao Xiang Hui,
Liu Hai Rong, Liu Gang,Du JI Geng
Li Dong,Huang Bo,Xhiong Zhen, Lai Rui Feng and Deng Wei Qiang
It would be recalled that the Economic and Financial Crimes commission, EFCC, had on December 10,2024 raided a six- floor building located in Oyin Jolayemi area of Lagos Island where over 700 people were arrested for offences bothering on Cyber terrorism and economic sabotage
When the matter came up for trial today EFCC’s counsel Mr Nnemeka Omewa informed the court that the defendants have opted for plea bargain arrangements which the Commission has found worthy.
Defence counsel Mr Folarin Damela also confirmed the EFCC position and urged the court to accept the plea bargain.
Consequently the charge was read and all the defendants pleaded guilty to same. The defendants also admitted that they freely consented to and signed the plea bargain agreement.
Following the guilty plea of the defendants, the prosecutor Nnemeka Omewa asked the court to convict and sentence the defendants in accordance with the plea bargain agreement .
In the absence of any objection to the prosecutor’s request, Justice Daniel Osiagor convicted and sentenced the defendants in line with the plea bargain agreement.
According to justice Osiagor, the defendants are sentenced to one year imprisonment each, commencing from the 10th of December,2024 with the payment of one million Naira.
The court also ordered that upon the completion of the prison term, the Nigerian Immigration Service shall repatriate the convicts to their country of origin.
Justice Daniel Osiagor also ordered that all items found on the convicts including furnitures, computer gadgets laptops should be forfeited to the Federal Government.
The one counts amended charge against the defendants reads: “That sometimes in December 2024, in Lagos, within the jurisdiction of this Honorable Court, the convicts willfully caused to be accessed, computer systems organized to seriously destabilize and destroy the fundamental economic and social structure of Nigeria by procuring and employing Nigerian youths for identity theft and to hold themselves out as persons of foreign nationality, with the intent to gain financial advantages for themselves and thereby committed an offence contrary to and punishable under Section 18 of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, Etc) Act, 2015 (As amended 2024) and Section 2(3) (d) of the Terrorism (Prevention, Prohibition) Act, 2022”.
