The Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS) on Sunday commenced the deportation of 42 out of 192 Chinese and Philippine nationals convicted for cybercrime and Ponzi scheme offences.
The initial group of 42 deportees, arrested during a large-scale raid on Oyin Jolayemi Street, Victoria Island, Lagos, on December 10, 2024, was scheduled to depart the country at 2:00 p.m. local time. They were part of the 759 suspects taken into custody in the operation.
All the convicted foreigners were subsequently handed over to the NIS, and the repatriation exercise is being carried out in stages. The remaining convicts are expected to be deported on Monday and Tuesday.
The syndicate had reportedly run an extensive cyberfraud and Ponzi scheme before they were dismantled in a joint security operation.
A senior immigration officer at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, who confirmed the deportation to our correspondent on Sunday under the condition of anonymity, explained that all the convicts had been placed in NIS custody. He added that the exercise was deliberately kept low-profile for security reasons.
The official further explained that the operation was part of ongoing enforcement to safeguard the country’s borders.
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 immigration source, also unnamed, revealed that the service is monitoring other foreign nationals suspected of engaging in similar crimes.
“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 noted.
Though details of the offences were not fully disclosed, insiders stressed that the deportations followed due legal process.
An official of a related agency, who also insisted on anonymity, confirmed that the foreigners were deported because of their criminal activities and not merely immigration violations.
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 (EFCC), which prosecuted the case, confirmed that the convicts ran a vast cyberfraud and Ponzi network.
EFCC Chairman, Ola Olukoyede, described the deportation as a “significant milestone” in the nation’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,”** Olukoyede said.
The EFCC explained that the charges included impersonation to defraud victims, training staff of Genting International Co. Limited in fraudulent practices, and offences under the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Related Offences Act, 2006.
Olukoyede added, “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.”
The December 2024 raid has since been regarded as one of Nigeria’s largest anti-cybercrime crackdowns and a key moment in the country’s battle against cross-border financial crimes.
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