By Miriam Humbe
The Lagos Zonal Directorate of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, on Tuesday, February 25, 2025 arraigned additional 16 Chinese before Justice Daniel Osiagor of the Federal High Court, sitting in Ikoyi, Lagos for fraud.
Dele Oyewale, EFCC’s Head of Media and Publicity disclosed this in a statement signed on Tuesday.
The suspects are: Hu Hui (a.k.a A Bin), Liao Ri Xing (a.k.a. Li Jun), Li Qiang (a.k.a. Yang Huan Huan), A Wen, Da Tou, Cheng Jian, Cong Bing, Fei Fan, Huxi Heng, Zheng Wei (a. k. a. A Hong), Huang Zhi, Zhang Lei, Sun Zhi Peng, Huang Jin Hui, Wù Hao, and Lu Qiang.
They are among the 792-member cryptocurrency investment and romance fraud suspects arrested by EFCC operatives on December 10, 2024, in Lagos, in a sting operation tagged “Eagle Flush Operation”.
The suspects were arraigned on separate charges, bordering on cybercrimes, cyber-terrorism, possession of documents containing false pretence, advance fee fraud and identity theft.
One of the charges against Qiang reads: “That you, Li Qiang (a.k.a Yang Huan Huan) and Genting International Co. Ltd sometime in December, 2024 at Lagos within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court cause to be accessed, computer system used for the purpose of destabilizing and destroying the economy and social structure of Nigeria and thereby committed an offence contrary to and punishable under Section 18(1) of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, Etc) Act 2015″.
One of the charges against Heng reads: “That you, Hu Xi Heng and Genting International Co. Ltd sometime in December, 2024 at Lagos within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court cause to be accessed, computer system used for the purpose of destabilizing and destroying the economy and social structure of Nigeria and thereby committed an offence contrary to and punishable under Section 18(1) of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, Etc) Act 2015.”
They all pleaded “not guilty” to the charges when they were read to them, following which prosecution counsel, Nnaemeka Omewa, asked the court for a trial date and for the defendants to be remanded in a correctional facility.
Justice Osiagor adjourned the matter till June 23, 2025 for trial, and ordered that they be remanded in a correctional facility.
