₦airaland Forum

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.

PUNCH Metro gathered that 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 to our correspondent on Sunday on the condition of anonymity, 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.

Source: https://punchng.com/nigeria-deports-42-convicted-chinese-philippine-cybercriminals

adenigga:
Source: https://punchng.com/nigeria-deports-42-convicted-chinese-philippine-cybercriminals

This is getting out of hand, foreigners turning Nigeria into a base for cybercrime and terrorism. Authorities must not only deport offenders but also tighten monitoring so our country doesn’t keep serving as a launching pad for these crimes.

I think we need to look into our laws again. We shouldn't be just deporting cyber criminals. If these guys are found guilty, they should face the law squarely. We've been deporting them and they keep on coming. Would Nigerians face same leniency if found guilty in thier country?

Themselves come Nigeria come dey press😊😊😊
China, I hail!
Philippines,I hail

Stories for the gods. Deported to where? Audio deportation. Abeg next news

They are killing and jailing our own citizens committing such offenses in their various nations and all we can do is deportation? When you have criminals as leaders this is the type of result you Will have.

Small yansh don dey shake oo..
Wowwww..
Nigeria sef dey deport?!?!
Na wa oo

Some of you dont want to ever hear Nigeria maintaining law and other especially when it has to come to foreigners. So what is special about nigeria deporting foreign criminals that you are saying small yansh they shake

Small yansh dey shake they are deporting them but they still keep on coming more and more definitely something is wrong somewhere.

adenigga:
Source: https://punchng.com/nigeria-deports-42-convicted-chinese-philippine-cybercriminals

Why are they getting deported instead of serving time in jail?

favour32:
Themselves come Nigeria come dey press😊😊😊
China, I hail!
Philippines,I hail

I think it is our yahoo boys here that are inviting them. Na rat wey dey inside house dey invite others come chop food for their house. Why didn't they go to Thailand that doesn't joke with crimes.

Teymanhenry:
I think we need to look into our laws again. We shouldn't be just deporting cyber criminals. If these guys are found guilty, they should face the law squarely. We've been deporting them and they keep on coming. Would Nigerians face same leniency if found guilty in thier country?

Do you have the space to keep them in your correctional centre?

This should be a major headline on BBC and FOX News so the world knows that it’s not only Nigerians involved in scams.

Their own citizens are also traveling down to Nigeria just to defraud people.

For too long, the media has painted Nigeria as the face of cybercrime, but cases like this prove it’s a global problem, not just a Nigerian one

Crucialgem:
Some of you dont want to ever hear Nigeria maintaining law and other especially when it has to come to foreigners. So what is special about nigeria deporting foreign criminals that you are saying small yansh they shake

Their gadgets should be seized, searched and they should be jailed not deported.

They’ll continue their cyber activities from their countries.
These people ruin economies. They hit our banks, institutions, businesses and they deceive lots of Nigerians with their Ponzi schemes.

Do you know how much platforms like CBEX etc collected from Nigerians?? Millions of US dollars.

Lots of people won’t recover from that and they are being deported. Do you think Chinese, Indonesian or Philippine government would just deport foreign criminals like that??

ThePolemicist:
Small yansh don dey shake oo..
Wowwww..
Nigeria sef dey deport?!?!
Na wa oo

Audio deportation.

Everyone knows Nigeria doesn't deport anyone. Who will cover the expenses? Even if fg releases money for that it'll be looted

Why not jail them! They no like our water beans so they paid for their own deportation. Nigerians different world.

First time to deport person from Nigeria oohhhhhhhhhh

My question is: Why not imprison them ?




zzzzzzzzzz

Alot of Nigerians in Chinese prisons serving jail terms...

Why can we also jail them here and have them serve terms after which they are deported..

WesKiz:
First time to deport person from Nigeria oohhhhhhhhhh

Not first.

Deportation has always been happening.

It's only the first time you have heard

Monies have exchanged hands between governments....they can't even survive our comfortable prisons.

See Nigeria and deportation

That's a nice one though

In China , same crime ,they will execute you .
Foolish country who keeps deporting and deporting

Naija too don Dey depot

This na big achievement for Tilnulbu

Teymanhenry:
I think we need to look into our laws again. We shouldn't be just deporting cyber criminals. If these guys are found guilty, they should face the law squarely. We've been deporting them and they keep on coming. Would Nigerians face same leniency if found guilty in thier country?

Nigeria is too lenient even to our own criminals. Terrorists who should have been long sentenced to death by hanging are being pampered.

99thEnemy:
My question is: Why not imprison them ?




zzzzzzzzzz

hope you will pay for their food and needs? AAAAAA

Ikaeniyan0:
Why are they getting deported instead of serving time in jail?

And you go dey use government money to feed them Abi

You don forget say our prison don full

WesKiz:
First time I heard to deport person from Nigeria oohhhhhhhhhh

I have helped you fix it

Read your comment againn