The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on Thursday arraigned 20 foreign nationals before the Federal High Court in Lagos, charged with cybercrime and attempts to destabilize Nigeria’s social and economic structure.
The defendants 15 Filipinos, one Indonesian, and four Chinese nationals were brought before Justice Musa Kakaki. They are part of a larger group of 193 foreign nationals arrested in December 2024, alongside 599 Nigerians, during a surprise operation at a hideout in Big Leaf Building, Victoria Island, Lagos, following credible intelligence gathered by the EFCC.
At the arraignment, EFCC counsel Nwandu Ukoha read the charges against the defendants, who all pleaded not guilty through an interpreter. Ukoha requested that the court remand the defendants in the custody of the Nigeria Correctional Service pending trial.
The defense lawyers, Bridget Omoteno and BA Ukpai, opposed the remand request and asked for a short adjournment to explore the possibility of a plea bargain with the prosecution. After hearing from both parties, Justice Kakaki granted the EFCC’s request to remand the defendants in custody and adjourned the case to March 18 and 20 for a possible trial.
Some of the foreign nationals arraigned include Kayceelyn Remorin, Jonylyn Agulto, Donny Hermanto, Guo Bin, and several others.
The two-count charge against the defendants alleges that they, alongside Genting International Co. Limited, engaged in activities that destabilized Nigeria’s economy and social structure. Specifically, they are accused of employing Nigerian youths for identity theft and impersonating foreign nationals to gain financial advantage. These actions are in violation of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, etc) Act, 2015, as amended in 2024.
The defendants face charges under Section 18 and 27 of the Cybercrimes Act for allegedly accessing computer systems to cause serious disruption and fraudulently impersonating foreign nationals to benefit financially.
