A Federal High Court sitting in Ikoyi, Lagos, has sentenced two Chinese nationals to 46 years’ imprisonment each for cyberterrorism and internet fraud involving over N3.4 billion and $2.5 million.
This is according to a statement issued by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on its official X account on Wednesday.
The convictions stem from a large-scale cybercrime operation uncovered by the anti-graft agency during a coordinated crackdown on online fraud syndicates operating in Lagos.
What EFCC said
According to the EFCC, Justice Daniel Osiagor convicted the Chinese nationals, Huang Haoyu and An Hongxu on Wednesday, February 11, 2026, after finding them guilty of cyberterrorism, internet fraud and money laundering.
The commission said the convicts were arrested alongside one Friday Audu. The anti-graft agency stated that Audu allegedly incorporated Genting International Co. Ltd. at the directive of Huang Haoyu to facilitate the fraudulent operation.
While Huang and Hongxu pleaded guilty after their counsel, Bridget Omateno, informed the court of their decision to change their pleas, Audu maintained his plea of not guilty.
Prosecution counsel, Bilikisu Bala-Buhari, told the court that two witnesses had already testified before the change of plea. She urged the court to impose life imprisonment on counts one to three and 14 years’ imprisonment on counts four to seven.
- “The defendants procured and employed Nigerian youths to falsely represent themselves as foreign nationals for the purpose of defrauding unsuspecting victims through online platforms,” the EFCC stated.
Get up to speed
The convictions of Huang Haoyu and An Hongxu, the case had roots in one of the largest cybercrime crackdowns Nigeria has seen in recent years.
In December 2024, the EFCC acted on months of intelligence about a sophisticated fraud network operating out of Lagos. On December 10 and into December 19, operatives executed a surprise raid under the name “Eagle Flush Operation,” sweeping through a group of properties in Victoria Island and Ikoyi and arresting 792 suspects linked to alleged cryptocurrency investment and romance scams.
Among the suspects were dozens of foreign nationals from multiple countries, with 148 Chinese and 40 Filipinos reportedly detained alongside a few from other nations.
Nigerian accomplices were recruited and trained to create and manage fake online personas on platforms like WhatsApp, Instagram and Telegram to pose as foreign professionals or romantic partners to lure victims in North America, Europe and elsewhere into believing they were engaging with legitimate opportunities or relationships. After trust was established, victims were pushed into fake cryptocurrency investment schemes that required activation fees or upfront payments.
More insights
They were arraigned by the Lagos Zonal Directorate 1 of the EFCC on a seven-count charge bordering on cyberterrorism, internet fraud and money laundering to the tune of N3,407,824,740.78 and $2,562,203.
One of the charges read:
- “That you, Huang Haoyu, a.k.a Ken, Audu Friday, An Hongxu, Duliang Pan (at large) and Genting International Co. Ltd, sometime in 2024 in Lagos, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, conspired to wilfully cause to be accessed computer systems organised to seriously destabilise the economic and social structure of Nigeria… and you thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 27 of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, etc.) Act, 2015 (As Amended, 2024).”
- Following the guilty pleas, prosecution counsel, Bilikisu Bala-Buhari, told the court that the prosecution had already called two witnesses before the plea change.
- She urged the court to impose the maximum punishment of life imprisonment on counts one to three and 14 years’ imprisonment on counts four to seven. She also prayed the court to order the forfeiture of all items recovered during the investigation to the Federal Government of Nigeria.
- Items recovered by the EFCC include 1,596 mobile phones, 2,120 office chairs, 544 office tables, 194 routers, 43 computer systems, a network server, 126 air-conditioning units, generators, vehicles, hundreds of mattresses and bunk beds, and thousands of SIM cards across different networks.
- The items were seized from premises located at Oyin Jolayemi Street, Bishop Oluwole Street and A.J. Marinho Drive in Victoria Island, as well as Modupe Alakija Crescent in Ikoyi.
What you should know
In May 2025, the EFCC arrested 120 suspected internet fraudsters in Lagos as part of its efforts to disrupt online fraud networks.
- The suspects were apprehended following credible intelligence linking them to internet‑related fraud activities, and items, including 26 exotic cars and smartphones, were seized during the operation.
- Earlier enforcement also saw the EFCC arrest 105 suspects in Abuja for alleged internet fraud, including 101 Nigerians and four foreign nationals, in a coordinated action targeting fraudulent schemes such as hotel review job scams that defrauded victims abroad.
The agency also arrested 28 alleged Ponzi scheme operators in Minna, Niger State, accusing them of luring investors into fraudulent “investment” deals that promised unrealistic returns and collecting fees, with plans for arraignment.
