Nigeria has deported 102 foreign nationals including 60 Chinese and 39 Filipinos following convictions for cyber-terrorism and internet fraud, the country’s Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) announced Thursday.
The move is part of an intensified effort to dismantle sophisticated online scam networks that have targeted victims worldwide through romance scams and fake cryptocurrency investments. EFCC spokesperson Dele Oyewale told AFP that an additional 51 individuals including 39 Filipinos, 10 Chinese, and two Kazakh nationals had also been deported since mid-August.
More deportations are expected in the coming days.
The deportees were among 792 suspects arrested during a sweeping raid in December on Victoria Island, one of Lagos’s wealthiest districts. Of those detained, 192 were foreign nationals 148 of them Chinese.
Nigeria, known for its homegrown internet fraudsters dubbed “Yahoo Boys,” has long battled digital crime. According to the EFCC, foreign syndicates have increasingly infiltrated the country, recruiting local accomplices to carry out phishing scams and financial fraud targeting Americans, Canadians, Mexicans, and Europeans.
These scams often involve tricking victims into transferring money or revealing sensitive account information. Experts warn that the tactics have grown more advanced, leveraging cutting-edge tech to create convincing fake investment platforms.
Victims many of whom invest life savings or borrowed funds are left devastated as their money vanishes with no recourse.
Cybersecurity analysts caution that Nigeria’s weak digital defenses have made it a hotspot for international cybercrime rings seeking to operate with minimal detection.
