The Nigerian Immigration Service on Sunday began the deportation of 42 out of the 192 Chinese and Philippine nationals convicted of cyberterrorism and Ponzi scheme offences.
The first batch of 42 deportees, who were among the 759 persons arrested during a major raid on December 10, 2024, at Oyin Jolayemi Street, Victoria Island, Lagos, was scheduled to leave Nigeria at 2:00 p.m. local time.
Information gathered said all the convicted foreigners were transferred to the Nigeria Immigration Service.
The deportation process is proceeding in phases; others will be repatriated on Monday and Tuesday until all are returned to their home countries.
The syndicate had been operating a large-scale cyber fraud and Ponzi scheme before being rounded up in the joint operation.
A senior immigration official at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos, who confirmed the development , said all the convicts had been handed over to the Nigerian Immigration Service for deportation, noting that the operation was conducted with minimal public attention for security reasons.
The officer explained that the action was part of the routine enforcement by the Nigerian Immigration Service to ensure a safer border.
The officer said, “Whether it’s a criminal offence or a visa violation, anyone who has served their jail term is typically deported. Even if someone holds a valid immigration status, certain crimes automatically render that status void.
“In this case, these individuals were not deported for immigration violations alone but for criminal activities. We cannot allow foreigners to commit crimes in our country and have Nigerians take the blame for their actions.”
Another senior official within the service, who also declined to be named, said the agency is monitoring other foreign nationals suspected of similar offences.
“This is part of an ongoing operation to ensure that Nigeria’s borders remain secure. We are focused on results, not public recognition. Our duty is sensitive, and we act within the law to maintain national security,” the officer stated.
While the details of the crimes committed were not disclosed, sources emphasised that the deportations were carried out in line with legal provisions after due process.
Also contacted to determine the exact reason for which the offenders were thrown out of the country, a senior staff member of a sister agency, who offered to speak only on the condition of anonymity because he lacks the authority to speak on the matter, stressed that no criminal would be allowed to perpetrate crime within Nigeria and escape to their country.
He added, “You know, for immigration service, they do their jobs not for a form of validation to ensure that our mandate stipulated by Nigerian laws is followed to the letter. I don’t know their reason for keeping quiet on this, but I know that it is the nature of the service to continue to work underneath to secure our borders.
“These nationals committed criminal-related offences and not visa-related offences. We must send them back to their countries; they can’t be here committing crimes, and people would then think it is Nigerians doing that. We won’t allow them to do that in our country.
“We still have some of them we are watching, we are only result-oriented and not interested in public opinion because a security job is a very sensitive one.”
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, which prosecuted the cases, disclosed that the convicts had operated an extensive cyberfraud and Ponzi network.
The EFCC chairman, Mr. Ola Olukoyede, described the deportations as a “significant milestone” in the country’s anti-corruption campaign.
“These convictions send a strong signal that Nigeria will not serve as a haven for cybercriminals.
“The commission remains committed to intensifying investigations, recovering stolen funds, and restoring national dignity in line with President Bola Tinubu’s anti-corruption drive,” he said.
According to the EFCC, the charges filed against the convicts included the use of false identities to defraud victims, the training of employees of Genting International Co. Limited in fraudulent practices, and other offences under the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Related Offences Act, 2006.
“These offences were calculated to undermine Nigeria’s security and financial integrity. “Their successful prosecution represents a turning point in the fight against transnational financial crimes,” Olukoyede added.
The December raid, considered one of the largest anti-cybercrime operations in Nigeria, marked a turning point in the crackdown on transnational financial crimes.
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