A Federal High Court in Lagos has ordered the interim forfeiture of 1,596 computers, 4,091 phones, seven vehicles, and approximately 70 other assets seized during the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission’s (EFCC) “Eagle Flush Operation” on December 10, 2024. The operation led to the arrest of 792 individuals, including 193 foreign nationals and 599 Nigerians, at Big Leaf Building, Victoria Island, Lagos, for alleged cryptocurrency investment scams, computer-related fraud, money laundering, and romance fraud.
Justice Deinde Dipeolu granted the EFCC’s ex parte application, moved by counsel Bima Isah, for the interim forfeiture of the assets, which are suspected to be proceeds of illegal activities linked to a syndicate allegedly financed through Genting International Co. Limited. The court’s ruling, based on Section 44(2)(b) of the 1999 Constitution and Section 17 of the Advance Fee Fraud Act of 2006, also directed the EFCC to publish the order in a national newspaper. This allows any interested parties 14 days to contest the forfeiture before the assets are permanently transferred to the Federal Government.
The seized assets include 3,399 SIM cards, 194 routers, 129 air conditioning units, 40 refrigerators, 14 inverters, seven generators, 205 sofas, 501 double-step bunks, 754 mattresses, 411 deep freezers, and various other items such as office equipment, kitchen appliances, and furniture. EFCC investigator Kaina Garba, in an affidavit, stated that the assets are instruments of a sophisticated fraud operation run by a syndicate, primarily led by Chinese nationals, that recruits and trains Nigerian youths in cyber-fraud, including dating, romance, and investment scams.
The EFCC’s intelligence revealed that the syndicate, operating from a suspected headquarters at 7 Oyin Jolayemi Street, Victoria Island, assigned recruits specially configured phones and computers with scripted formats for fraudulent activities. The December sting operation resulted in the arrest of 761 suspects, with ongoing investigations targeting the syndicate’s leaders and financiers, who remain at large.
Justice Dipeolu, in his ruling, found merit in the EFCC’s application, stating, “I have read the motion and attachments and find sufficient merit in the application. Consequently, the motion succeeds and is hereby granted.” The EFCC continues to investigate the main perpetrators, both foreign nationals and Nigerians, as the agency works to dismantle the organized crime network.
