The Nigerian Immigration Service on Sunday commenced the phased deportation of 42 Chinese and Philippine nationals, marking the first wave of removals from a group of 192 foreigners convicted of cyberterrorism and Ponzi scheme offenses.
The deportees, part of a larger syndicate arrested in a December 2024 raid in Lagos, were flown out of the country under tight security, with the remaining convicts slated for repatriation in the coming days.
According to a report by PUNCH, all convicted foreigners were handed over to the Nigerian Immigration Service for deportation. The process is being carried out in stages, with additional batches scheduled for repatriation on Monday and Tuesday until all individuals are sent back to their respective countries.
The criminal network had been running an extensive cyber fraud and Ponzi scheme before being apprehended in a coordinated raid.
A high-ranking immigration official at Lagos’ Murtala Muhammed International Airport, who spoke anonymously, confirmed the deportations to our correspondent on Sunday. The official stated that all convicts had been transferred to immigration authorities for removal and noted that the operation was conducted discreetly for security purposes.
The officer emphasised that this measure aligns with the Nigerian Immigration Service’s standard procedures to strengthen border security.
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.
The service is actively watching other foreign nationals thought to be committing similar crimes, disclosed a senior official who requested anonymity.
“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.
A confidential source within a sister agency, contacted about the deportation condition said: “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 (EFCC), responsible for prosecuting the cases, revealed that the convicts had run a large-scale cyberfraud and Ponzi scheme.
EFCC Chairman Mr. Ola Olukoyede characterised the deportations as a significant milestone in Nigeria’s ongoing battle against corruption. He emphasised that the convictions demonstrate the country’s refusal to tolerate cybercriminal activities, reinforcing its commitment to thorough investigations, asset recovery, and upholding national integrity in alignment with President Bola Tinubu’s anti-corruption agenda.
The EFCC detailed that the charges against the convicts involved identity fraud to deceive victims, training employees of Genting International Co. Limited in illicit practices, and violations under the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Related Offences Act of 2006. Olukoyede noted that these crimes posed a direct threat to Nigeria’s financial security, and their prosecution marked a pivotal moment in combating cross-border financial crime.
The December raid, one of Nigeria’s most extensive anti-cybercrime operations to date, signalled a major shift in the clampdown on international financial fraud.
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