In Pictures: FG deports 192 foreigners convicted of cybercrime in Lagos

The Federal Government has completed the deportation of 192 foreign nationals convicted for cybercrime-related offences following a joint operation by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), the Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS), and the Nigerian Correctional Service (NCoS).

The exercise marks the conclusion of a major enforcement operation that began after the arrest of 759 suspects during a sting operation on December 10, 2024, at Oyin Jolayemi Street, Victoria Island, Lagos.

The convicts were found guilty by the Federal High Court in Lagos for offences including cyber-terrorism, money laundering, and Ponzi scheme activities.

The deportation, which commenced on August 15, 2025, was carried out in several batches. The first group, comprising 42 Chinese and Filipino nationals, was repatriated in mid-August, while others followed through August and September. The final batch of 51 convicts—50 Chinese nationals and one Tunisian—was deported on October 16, 2025, concluding the operation.

According to EFCC sources, the deported individuals were among a network of foreign and Nigerian suspects arrested during a coordinated crackdown on an international cybercrime ring operating under the name Genting International Co. Limited. Investigations revealed that the syndicate managed fraudulent digital platforms used to defraud victims both within and outside Nigeria.

“The operation was based on actionable intelligence that led to the dismantling of a sophisticated cybercrime syndicate,” an EFCC official said. “Their activities involved online fraud, identity theft, and Ponzi-style investment schemes.”

The convicts, drawn from China, the Philippines, Tunisia, Malaysia, Pakistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Timor-Leste, were sentenced and ordered deported in accordance with court rulings and established immigration procedures.

The coordinated repatriation underscores ongoing inter-agency collaboration to combat cybercrime and enforce judicial directives involving foreign offenders in Nigeria’s digital and financial crime ecosystem.