Nigeria Sentences 21 Foreigners Over Cybercrime, Orders N1 Million Fine Per Person
Twenty-one foreigners were found guilty of high-level cybercrime activities in Nigeria by an Abuja Federal High Court.
According to reports, the judge overseeing the case, Justice Ekerete Akpan, punished each of the guilty parties ₦1 million and mandated that they leave the nation right away within six working days.
Judge Akpan stated in his Tuesday ruling that the defendants and the Nigeria Police Force voluntarily agreed into a plea bargain arrangement, which led to the punishment.
Since the defendants voluntarily engaged into the plea deal, I hereby find you guilty as charged. The penalties will be predicated on the parties’ agreement that each defendant will pay a fine of ₦1 million before being released. Within six working days, they must leave the country, the judge decided.
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The court also mandated that the Federal Government be given back all of the devices used to commit the offenses.
In addition to the 21 convicted, the Inspector-General of Police is currently prosecuting 109 foreign nationals for offenses deemed to be threats to Nigeria’s national security, money laundering, and cybercrime.
As to the court documents, the convicted persons are from Thailand, Vietnam, China, Indonesia, Brazil, and the Philippines. Before choosing the plea agreement, they were charged with six counts and arraigned in 2024.
Judge Akpan emphasized in the ruling that the prisoners must pay their fines in full before being released and depart Nigeria within six working days.
