The Federal Government has deported 51 foreign nationals convicted of cybercrime and other financial offences in Lagos, following a coordinated operation by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, the Nigerian Immigration Service, and the Nigerian Correctional Service.
EFCC spokesperson, Dele Oyewale, in a statement on Sunday in Abuja, said the latest batch, which comprised 50 Chinese nationals and one Tunisian, marked the final phase of a large-scale deportation exercise, bringing the total number of foreigners convicted and deported in Lagos to 192.
Oyewale explained that the final group left Nigeria on October 16, concluding a series of deportations that began in August 2025.
“The deportation exercise followed the arrest and successful prosecution of 759 suspects during a major sting operation conducted by the EFCC on December 10, 2024, at Oyin Jolayemi Street, Victoria Island, Lagos,” the statement read.
He added that the offenders were convicted by the Federal High Court in Lagos for crimes bordering on cybercrime, money laundering and Ponzi scheme operations.
The first batch of 42 convicts, which included Chinese and Filipino nationals, was deported on August 15, while other groups followed in subsequent weeks.
According to Oyewale, the deported convicts came from China, the Philippines, Tunisia, Malaysia, Pakistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Timor Leste, and were repatriated between August and mid-October in accordance with court directives and Nigerian immigration laws.
He disclosed that the deportees were arrested alongside Nigerian collaborators believed to be members of a transnational cybercrime and Ponzi scheme syndicate operating under Genting International Company Limited.
“Investigations confirmed that the convicted foreigners were involved in large-scale online fraud, identity theft, and cyber-enabled Ponzi schemes. They trained recruits and managed fraudulent digital platforms used to defraud victims both locally and internationally,” Oyewale stated.
He said the Nigeria Immigration Service carried out the deportations as ordered by the court, describing the exercise as a major step in Nigeria’s ongoing fight against cross-border cybercrime.
