LAGOS COURT JAILS 5 CHINESE NATIONALS FOR INTERNET FRAUD, CYBERTERRORISM

Five Chinese nationals have been sentenced to one year in prison for their involvement in the syndicate of cryptocurrency and cybercrime. Justice DEHINDE DIPEOLU of the Federal High Court in Ikoyi, Lagos, handed out the judgment after the Chinese nationals changed their initial ‘not guilty’ plea and pleaded guilty. One of the charges reads: “That you, Guo Qiang (aka Wu You You) sometime in December 2024 at Lagos, within the jurisdiction of this Honourabe Court, wilfully caused to be accessed computer system 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 of the Cybercrime (Prohibition, Prevention, Etc) Act, 2015 (As Amended, 2024]”. In view of their guilty plea, the prosecution counsel, U.S KYARI, prayed the court to convict them as charged, following which all the defendants were sentenced to one year imprisonment, with a fine of One Million Naira each. The judge also ordered that upon completion of their sentences, the Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Immigration Service, NIS, should ensure that they are repatriated to their country of origin within seven days.